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CKRZ Honours Joanne Shenandoah

In Memoriam:    Joanne Shenandoah, Oneida Nation

The CKRZ Board and Staff of Six Nations and Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nations would like to add our Voices to the hundreds of Condolences offered in comfort, signalling the recent passing of a tremendous Indigenous Music Pioneer and Icon, Joanne Shenandoah, of the Oneida Nation.

She showcased her artistic talents and love for Indigenous Music among all our communities throughout Turtle Island. She also carried her music around the world celebrating the true Haudenosaunee Spirit, Values and Virtues.

She represented us well as a Haudenosaunee Woman with class, poise and grace !

In our language we use the phrase:  E sǫ gi hę dęs… She now returns Home a head of us (to be with our Creator).

To her partner Doug George and Family our Deepest Condolences.  Swa tsa gǫ !!

 Here is what the Associated Press posted in her Honour …

Joanne Shenandoah, celebrated Native American singer, passes
BY THE ASSOciATED PRESS ON NOVEMBER 23, 2021.

Joanne Shenandoah, the celebrated Native American singer-songwriter who performed before world leaders and on high-profile stages, has died. She was 63.

The Native American Music Awards & Association posted on its website that Shenandoah, described as “Native America’s musical matriarch,” died Monday night in Scottsdale, Arizona, after complications of abdominal bleeding.

“Joanne’s beautiful embellishing voice, strong Iroquois traditions, unequivocal elegance and courteous grace made her a prominent role model and highly respected musical matriarch among Native American communities as well as the mainstream music community at large,” the organization said. “She sang with deep roots from her ancestors and flawlessly incorporated her oral traditions into contemporary Folk, Country and Americana formats.”

Shenandoah was a member of the Wolf Clan of the Oneida Nation, and grew up in central New York state.

She made her recording debut in 1989, and her career went on to include numerous albums and collaborations.

Shenandoah won 14 Native American Music Awards, the most for a single artist. She was among the artists who contributed to “Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth,” which won the Grammy award for Best Native American music album in 2006, and was nominated twice for Grammys for her own recordings.

According to her website, Shenandoah performed in front of the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela, and played at locations including the White House and Carnegie Hall.

Shenandoah had suffered from health issues in recent years, including liver problems after she had a bacterial infection.

She is survived by her husband, daughter, grandson and two sisters.