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Joanne
zingt op meest authentieke manier vrouwenliederen.
Zij is Wolf Clan lid van de Iroquois Confederacy
-
Oneida Natie.
Joanne's moeder Maisie Shenandoah
heeft haar leven toegewijd aan de Oneida Indianen.
Joanne zingt in het Iroquois. Je verstaat er waarschijnlijk
geen woord van,
maar je "verstaat" het des te beter. Recht naar je hart.
Solo zang met een indrukwekkende stem met hier en daar een trommel of ratel.
Muziek hoor je als
je je boxen aanzet...
Joanne Shenandoah
"We're all in need of
spiritual healing, and anything that celebrates life on this earth is a
blessing. That's the Iroquois way."
Joanne Shenandoah is one of the top-selling and most widely recognized Native recording
artists. Her repertoire actually spans the realms of
country, rock, techno, gospel, children's songs and folk, as well as her
best-known traditional Iroquois social songs. She has simultaneously crossed
musical cultural borders while establishing an immediately identifiable
style. Her alternative arrangements of traditional music that she transforms
with an eclectic array of instruments-including violin, water drum, cello
and glass harmonica, among others-have become a boundless exploration. "My
favorite album is always the next one," she quips with a hearty ease.
As a Wolf Clan member of the Oneida nation in upstate New York, Joanne Lynn
Shenandoah was given the name Tekalihwa:khwa (She Sings). Her late father,
Clifford, an Oneida chief, also was an accomplished jazz guitarist, and her
mom, Maisie, a clan mother, a singer and music teacher. Her parents provided
direction and inspiration. "I played almost everything I could get my hands
on, starting with piano, guitar, clarinet and percussion," Shenandoah
recalls. "Now I'm studying the harp." Her future holds as much surprise for
her as when she encounters the creative process during the recording
sessions. "That's the beauty of it all," she says.
Three Albums in 2003
In 2003, she released three albums for Silver Wave Records: one gospel, a
best-of compilation album and a techno-experimental project. The first, a
collection of gospel songs sung in the Oneida language with her mother,
Maisie, and aunt, Liz Robert, is entitled Sisters. "When I did the album
with my mom and aunt, I felt very moved. I cried, knowing that these older
generations sacrificed for us so that we could pick up and continue on," she
says.
Silver Wave Records President James
Marienthal points out, "Not everybody liked the new changes at first, but
it's exciting and fresh and that's what Joanne is all about." He first heard
Shenandoah in 1995 on Peter Kater's soundtrack How the West Was Lost. He
admits, "She has a gorgeous voice! It's obvious to say that, but it's very
true!"
In this whirlwind ride, Shenandoah's focus remains on the teachings of her
people. "We have a responsibility to our children to teach them the culture
and to show them their responsibilities as human beings," she says. "We have
to help them express their gifts, and I love helping develop children's
talents. We've conducted songwriting workshops with kids as young as four
and five years old. It's been a great experience." With her husband, Doug
George, an activist and newspaper columnist, Shenandoah established a
nonprofit foundation called Round Dance Productions. "The focus is education
and the preservation of Oneida culture," she states. "We're building a
recording studio and maintain one of the largest private collections of
Iroquois music.
Shenandoah's soft melodic patterns, delivered in her native tongue, exude a
unique sincerity. It's little wonder that her earlier works were used by
rehabilitation centers to help reconstruct broken lives. Her music speaks of
the Earth, generations of connection to the land, and the enduring universal
human spirit. And there is a wealth of material yet to come. She concludes
with a pause, "You remain humble, work hard, and the rest falls into place."
Matriarch
Tom Wasinger co-produced and recorded this collection of Iroquois women's
melodies and chants at ancient village sites on Oneida territory in New
York.
Matriarch honors all women since "they are the Lifegivers of our Mother
Earth." The album notes offer an excellent overview of Haudenosaunee (People
of the Longhouse) women's history and culture.
"I have been enjoying Joanne's music for several years, but her recording
Matriarch is in my opinion her finest work."- Robbie Robertson
Matriarch won an INDIE Award as the Best Native American Recording of 1997!
Shenandoah recently learned that Matriarch is being played in healing
centers all over America. She was not surprised. "We're all in need of
spiritual healing, and anything that celebrates life on this earth is a
blessing. That's the Iroquois way."
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