{"id":7673,"date":"2006-04-23T13:12:38","date_gmt":"2006-04-23T17:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wtb.org\/?p=7673"},"modified":"2019-01-10T10:26:19","modified_gmt":"2019-01-10T14:26:19","slug":"onondaga-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/?p=7673","title":{"rendered":"Onondaga Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Danya Wellmon introduced our speakers from the Onondaga Nation (left to right): Audrey Shenandoah<\/strong>, clan mother and internationally known speaker; her daughter, Jeanne Shenandoah<\/strong>, a midwife and speaker; and Wendy Gonyea<\/strong>, a faith keeper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeanne Shenandoah<\/strong> began by\nexplaining that she lives south of Syracuse on Onondaga Nation land, a small\npart of the Nation\u2019s original territory in central New York. The Onondagas are\none of the six Indigenous Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Jeanne is a\nmember of one of the nine clan families that trace their membership through the\nmatrilineal line. Because her mother is Eel Clan, Jeanne is also. The Onondaga Nation\nis a small community, so all members know one another and many are related.\nThey have a traditional leadership structure, with heads of clans holding\nlifetime positions of responsibility. Leaders have political, spiritual and\nsocial duties, keeping order and leading ceremonies. They constantly strive to\nmaintain the community\u2019s sense of \u201cwho we are,\u201d which includes helping the\nchildren learn the ways of their people in the face of social pressures from\nthe outside world, including television. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeanne said that native people struggle to build a strong\nspiritual foundation. They hold ceremonies of thanksgiving year-round, always\nincluding children, who learn to be thankful and who see that the community itself\nis thankful for their presence. Prophecies and teachings from the past help the\ncommunity face and solve difficult situations as they arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeanne said that both she and Wendy work for the Council of\nChiefs and are used to answering questions. Outsiders frequently ask about the legal\nland-rights action that the Onondaga Nation has undertaken. She explained that\nthe Onondagas are seeking recognition of indigenous peoples\u2019 claim to\naboriginal lands and their concern for areas of environmental degradation. The\nOnondaga Nation\u2019s legal action is not a land claim; rather, it seeks to\nestablish the Nation\u2019s right to be consulted about land that was taken either\nillegally or by trickery from people who could neither read nor understand\nEnglish. Onondaga lands used to extend from the Thousand Islands to the\nPennsylvania border, and small communities within this area have come to the\nOnondagas when the state and federal governments have refused to listen to\ntheir environmental concerns. The Onondaga Nation is attempting to be\nrecognized as an authentic voice, bringing everyone\u2019s attention to problems of\ntoxic dumps and river pollution. A main focus is Onondaga Lake; the Nation\nwants the water and the land around it cleaned properly for the health and\nwell-being of all people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wendy Gonyea<\/strong> is a member of the\nBeaver Clan and the mother of four children. She said that the Onondaga Nation\nfaces many issues, and its leaders are involved with environmental degradation\nand the education of their own people as well as their neighbors. The land-rights\naction is part of this process. She stressed that the Onondagas have always\nbeen here and have not left, as some school textbooks seem to indicate. They\nare carrying on with who they are and with what their ancestors have left for\nthem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the Onondaga speakers were introduced, WTB members had\nquickly voted on and passed five amendments to our constitutional by-laws.\nWendy found that speedy process interesting, because a similar concern before\nthe Onondaga Nation leadership would have involved discussion, listening, and\neventual consensus. The nine clans are split into two houses, with specific\ngoverning responsibilities for each house. She added that women are given great\nrespect, and they have considerable strength when they are together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audrey Shenandoah<\/strong> greeted the\naudience with \u201cNyawenha Skanonh,\u201d a traditional greeting that means, \u201cI am\nthankful you are well when we meet.\u201d She stressed that thankfulness is vital to\nthe Onondaga way of life. Referring to today\u2019s rainy weather, she said it would\nnot be the Onondagas\u2019 way to say that this is not a good day; the Onondagas are\nthankful for all days. Similarly, it is important to always acknowledge people\nand never ignore those you encounter. A schoolteacher for 30 years, Audrey is\nfinding it increasingly difficult to impress on today\u2019s children that all people\nare important and should be acknowledged, with respect being especially given\nto elders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a challenge to keep traditions alive. Every Onondaga\ngathering offers thanksgiving to all of creation. One member of the gathering\nis selected to give thanks first for the people themselves; then for their\nmother, the earth, from which all life grows; for four-legged and winged\ncreatures, our brothers; for running water, the lifeblood of the earth and of\nhumanity; for woodlands and trees; for the sky world; for our elder brother,\nthe sun; for the thunder and the rain that freshens and cleanses the air and\nthe earth. It is essential to give thanks for our existence and for the gifts\nthe Creator gives without our asking. People should never gather without words\nof harmony and peace, sharing love among people and compassion for creation.\nThe Onondagas have days dedicated to each item of creation. They show respect\nfor the arrival of growing things; it is medicine for the soul and the spirit\nto see the budding of leaves and flowers, or the drip of maple sap, or the forming\nof strawberries. There is no one \u201cday of worship\u201d; instead there is a\nconsistent giving of thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seasonal ceremonies frequently extend for six days, during which thanks are given to each item of creation with special songs, dances, foods, and traditional clothing. Other ceremonies, such as those for strawberry or maple syrup season, may last only one or two days. These ceremonies remind us of all we should be learning about the good things in our lives. The faith keepers ensure the perpetuation of spiritual life; they set the dates for ceremonies and allow time for preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clan mother, the chief, and the male and female faith keepers\nare the officers of the clan. The faith keepers are chosen of the people of the\nclan. All leaders must be able to speak their language, perpetuate the\ntraditions and spiritual side, know their history in order to teach it, and be\nable to take care of a family (the clan becomes their family). The four\nofficers have to work together in a balance; they have a lot of responsibility\nand a lifetime of work and constant challenges. An elderly officer can choose a\nhelper within the clan. The officers must depend on beliefs handed down by the\nancestors, who said that decisions must consider seven generations into the\nfuture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither the government of New York State nor that of the\nUnited States has any relevance to the Haudenosaunee leaders or their people;\nthe Haudenosaunee are not part of the state or the federal governments and\nreceive no funds or interference from either. The Onondagas have their own\njurisdiction, with their own fire department, health clinic, school, and EMTs.\nAlthough they do call 911 when necessary, the police need permission to enter\nNation land and are usually accompanied by a clan leader. The Onondagas do not\ncount their members and do not participate in the US census. However, fewer\nthan half of the Onondagas live on Nation land; the rest are scattered across\nthe US and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Onondaga Nation is a sovereign state, not a tourist\nattraction. It has no visitor center or curio shop. It has no casino, as that\nwould change the society from traditional leadership to a capitalist business,\nfrom thanksgiving to consumerism, from common sense to greed, all of which\nwould divorce the people from the Confederacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a sovereign state, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy issues\nits own passports. Since 1973, it has sent a delegation to the United Nations.\nThe 50-member Council of Chiefs selects a tadodaho, a chief who has special\nduties to oversee the entire Confederacy. He foregoes his own clan and belongs\nto all the people of the six nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although history portrays the early Onondagas as warlike,\nbattles were brief though fierce. Instead of military advice, their earliest\nteachers gave them ways to be thankful. The people were given the peach stone\ngame; outsiders have misinterpreted it as gambling, but it is actually played\nto enjoy life and the pleasures of one another\u2019s company. Money is not used,\nbut cherished items, such as baskets, clothing or elaborate trinkets, are\nforfeited, with the understanding that these items will be waiting for the\noriginal owner in the Creator\u2019s land. Games can last three days or longer and\ninvolve intricate scoring. Audrey, Jeanne and Wendy smiled broadly when\ndiscussing the fun of the game, pointing out that Audrey\u2019s and Jeanne\u2019s clan\nand Wendy\u2019s clan are traditional opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audrey was asked to be clan mother of the Deer Clan when the\nclan had no eligible women living on the Nation. The clan mother is known as\nthe woman with a bag at her side. In this bag she keeps the names of deceased\nclan members. These are names she gives to new babies at a special celebration\nthat includes a formal address held for the name-giving. After the address, all\ncreation acknowledges the name\u2014and thus all creation becomes an ally\u2014so one\nneed not fear storms or four-legged creatures. Special songs and dances\naccompany this celebration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because many Onondagas have been brought up in foreign ways,\nthey have been robbed of the chance to have a special time of receiving names. Children\nsometimes remind the elders that they need to be given a native name, and\nadults will travel long distances to come to a naming day to receive a name. When\nsomeone dies, the clan mother lifts that person\u2019s name in order to keep it on\nearth, and she reserves the name for at least one year before giving it again.\nOccasionally an elderly person will ask to give his or her name to a special\nnew child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Onondagas are taught how to treat each other, but they suffer\nthe same problems as those outside the Nation. They have no written laws, because\nlaws should be written in their hearts. Outsiders frequently think that the\nlack of written and posted prohibitions means that there are no standards, and\nthey bring their lawlessness to Onondaga land: junk is dumped, stolen cars are\nleft, crimes are committed. The Onondagas now have their own patrols to protect\ntheir people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another problem is poor health. The Onondagas\u2019 traditional\ndiet was agricultural, supplemented with fish and wildlife. Many of the fish\nnow swim in polluted waters, and refined, store-bought food contributes to a\nrising rate of diabetes. To counteract this, the Nation has a small buffalo\nherd, and many people have gardens and preserve their produce through canning\nand freezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In firm but gentle voices Audrey, Jeanne and Wendy stressed\nthat it is as difficult for them to maintain traditional ways in the face of\nmodern temptations as it is for the rest of us to maintain our values. But\ntheir life of respect and thankfulness is worthy of their greatest efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women elders in the Onondaga Nation talked about respect, gratitude, care for the environment, sovereignty and passing on traditions to future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5028,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[34,41],"class_list":["post-7673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs","tag-native-american","tag-spiritual-practices",""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7673"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9155,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7673\/revisions\/9155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}