Skywoman & Iroquois Culture w/Joanne Shenandoah & Kanentiio, Dr. Bob Hieronimus

A few days ago we learned of the passing of a great light in this world, one with a soaring voice of an angel. On the wings of the eagle may she rise to the heaven worlds.   Joanne Shenandoah, our beloved friend and mentor in the ways of the Iroquois path to peace, has left her physical body for the world of the spirit, leaving behind the thousands who were touched by her grace and artistry and love.

For several years we opened every 21st Century Radio® program with the voice of Joanne Shenandoah singing “One World, one mind, one love we will find, on common ground, peace will be found, for all on earth.” That sums up the message of Joanne Shenandoah.  She will be sorely missed. 

Joanne Shenandoah was one of “America’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed Native American musicians of her time.” She won a Grammy Award and was nominated for two others, plus multiple other awards for her music, both traditional and contemporary. A direct descendent of the famed Oneida Chief Shenandoah, who was a friend and ally of George Washington, Joanne Shenandoah is a founding board member of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, a nonprofit educational facility based on Iroquois principles.

Tonight, in her honor and tribute, we are rebroadcasting an interview we recorded with her in 2011 where we talk about, and play selections from, her symphony called “Skywoman,” which is based on the Iroquois creation story.  She is joined in this interview by her husband and true partner in this life, Doug George-Kanentiio, who stays with us for the second hour of the program to focus more academically on his work, Iroquois Culture and Commentary.

We will miss you Joanne Shenandoah, “She Who Sings”.  You left the world a better place than you found it,  a life very well lived.  Peace be with you.