The dedicated Native American Music Awards, which successfully proposed the Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album, was launched in 1998 and continues to be held annually. The Native American Music Awards or N.A.M.A. was the first national awards program for Native American music in North America. The awards were born out of a need for greater recognition for Native American music initiatives and remains the largest professional membership based organization in the world.
When viewed from the side, an adult spine has a natural S-shaped curve. The neck (cervical) and low back (lumbar) regions have a slight concave curve, and the thoracic and sacral regions have a gentle convex curve (Fig.
The first seven vertebrae form the cervical spine . The mid back, called the thoracic spine , consists of 12 vertebrae. The lower portion of the spine, called the lumbar spine , is usually made up of five vertebrae. However some people have a sixth lumbar vertebra. The normal spine has an S-like curve when looking at it from the side. This allows for an even distribution of weight.