22 Facts About Joanne Shenandoah

Joanne Lynn Shenandoah was a Native American singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in the United States.

Joanne Shenandoah was a citizen of the Oneida Indian Nation, Wolf clan, based in New York.

Joanne Shenandoah's music combined traditional melodies with a blend of modern instrumentation, and her lyrics conveyed her interests in nature, women's lives and Iroquois culture.

Joanne Shenandoah received a Grammy Award for her part in the album Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth, which had tracks by numerous artists.

Joanne Lynn Shenandoah was born on June 23,1957, in Syracuse, New York, to Maisie Shenandoah, Wolf Clan Mother of the Oneida Indian Nation, in New York, and Clifford Shenandoah, an Onondaga Nation chief from the Beaver clan.

Joanne Shenandoah had four sisters, Wanda, Vicky, Diane, and Danielle, as well as a brother, Jerry.

Joanne Shenandoah grew up on the Oneida Reservation near Oneida, New York.

Joanne Shenandoah learned many traditional songs and music styles, and played many instruments, including piano, guitar, flute, and cello.

Joanne Shenandoah started performing in the Syracuse, New York, area.

Joanne Shenandoah made 23 recordings, and her first solo CD was recorded in 1989.

Joanne Shenandoah wrote music and developed her own style, blending traditional and contemporary techniques and instrumentation, singing in English and in Mohawk or other Iroquois languages.

Joanne Shenandoah was invited to Rome, Italy, to participate in the October 2012 celebration of the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Roman Catholic Native American saint.

Joanne Shenandoah performed in major venues and at major public events, including at The White House, Carnegie Hall, five Presidential Inaugurations, Madison Square Garden, Crystal Bridges Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, The Ordway Theater, Hummingbird Centre, Toronto Skydome, Parliament of the World's Religions, and Woodstock '94.

Joanne Shenandoah's songs were featured in the television series Northern Exposure.

Joanne Shenandoah received more Native American Music Awards than any other Native Artist, and a total of more than 40 music awards.

Joanne Shenandoah has received numerous Indie Awards and Syracuse Area Music Awards.

In 2012, Joanne Shenandoah was honored with the Atlas Award for her work with the climate change movement, both in the US and around the world.

Joanne Shenandoah's daughter, Leah Shenandoah, accompanied the singer on the road across continents to perform since she was a child.

Joanne Shenandoah formed an important part of many of Shenandoah's projects on and behind the scenes, and today, she continues Shenandoah's legacy as a matriarch devoted to teaching traditions to Shenandoah's grandson.

Joanne Shenandoah married Doug George-Kanentiio, a co-founder of the Native American Journalists Association and a published author.

Joanne Shenandoah was one of the original board members of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, which operates in partnership with Syracuse University.

Joanne Shenandoah died from idiopathic liver failure on November 22,2021, in a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital at age 64.