Leslie Gray Streeter

My Big Fat Grammy Preview, Day Five: Native American artist Joanne Shenandoah

Joanne Shenandoah, Best Native American Album (the compilation Sacred Ground: A Tribute To Mother Earth, for the song Seeking Light)

For the unitiated, Shenandoah is a three-time Grammy nominee, this year for a song from a compilation of songs by different artists. Her style is a hybrid of country and Native influences, and she has been compared to ethereal Celtic singer Enya.

Question: This is your third Grammy nomination. I read that you've said that you would have rather been watching the ceremony at home with your friends and family back in Oneida, N.Y. (Shenandoah is a member of the Wolf Clan of the Iroquois Confederacy, Oneida Nation.) But you're going this year, right?
Answer: Yes. I'm very honored. There are very fine artists that I'm nominated with. Because (the nomination) is a compilation, it's important for people to understand the gamut of Native artists that exists. And if you ask anyone who's ever been nominated for anything, it really is an honor.

Q: You were first nominated in 2001, the first time this category was ever presented. So is this nomination as important to you?
A: Yes, this is the third time for me. I think for any musician, you certainly want to make sure that people know where you are coming from. I've given a lot of heart and soul to what I do. This song, Seeking Light, brought tears to my eyes, thinking about how many people around the world are in need of healing. The song is about the healing (powers) of Grandmother Moon — I don't know if you know anything about Grandmother Moon (a revered matriarch in the Iroquois tradition). But what do most people know and appreciate about the moon? It controls the ocean tides, and all things as far as women are concerned. The Iroquois are a matriarchal community.

Q: You grew up in a musical tradition. Before you became a full-time musician, you were an engineer?
A: I was a systems architectural engineer for many moons — too many moons. I had a huge window office. You know, you have the (traditions) that you grew up with, but as you grow up and get educated, you have to prove yourself. You have credit cards and bills, and everyone is telling you how proud they are of you. But still you feel like you have some higher purpose. Now in my heart and my soul, I'm happy, doing what I'm doing.

Q: Not too many people can say that.
A: You meet people every day who are not sure what their purpose is in life. What a blessing it is to be able to find what it is that you're supposed to be doing! I've been doing it since 1990, and I've got 10 Native American Music Awards or Nammys, three Indie Awards.

Q: So are the Grammy Awards any different?
A: Going the first time was very exciting, sitting near Beyonce. I feel totally blessed. You see how music affects people. It's one of our main healing forces, an encompassing thing. From birth, to naming, to death, (music) takes the whole spectrum of life into consideration.

Q: So I guess you would not have been happy, ultimately, doing anything else.
A: I have a very Native perspective. To me, (what I'm doing) is a matter of survival. I continue to have certain responsibilities, but it really comes down to what happens seven generations into the future. Do you have children?

Q: No, not yet.
A: It's one of the most beautiful things you can ever experience. When your daughter has children, and they have children, and then those children have children and you have passed into the spirit world, what would you like them say about you? To me, (thinking about that) is very profound.

Q: Indeed. So I guess the Grammys are a platform to show all of that to the world. I actually remember watching the first time that they gave this award — you were nominated — and Robbie Robertson and Val Kilmer presented it.
A: I know that there are millions of people who listen to Native music, from their personal testaments and E-mails, from their letters and gifts. Oh my gosh, the things that people give you! It has made a difference in my life. But the one remarkable testament is that the Native people have continued to survive, in a cultural and spiritual way that is remarkable. We are a very small minority. But we are very proud. Hopefully the music touches the soul, because the awards are collecting dust.