Carol Ann LorenzCurator of Exhibitions

Longyear Museum of AnthropologyColgate University • Hamilton, NY 13346

Leah Shenandoah: O’whahsa’

Protection, Comfort, Healing

August 26 to November 1, 2013

Four Protectors: Tsi’ Tetwatsha’thos (West), 2011

The Longyear Museum of Anthropology is an educational insti-tution dedicated to bringing to the public the rich artistic and cultural heritage of indigenous peoples around the globe. An important part of its mission is to show that indigenous peoples VM�[VKH`�JVU[PU\L�[V�WYVK\JL�J\S[\YHSS`�ZPNUPÄJHU[�HUK�ILH\[PM\S�objects that are worthy of attention and study. A particular objec-tive is to exhibit the art of local Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) peo-ples, who are Colgate University’s nearest indigenous neighbors. It is, therefore, a great pleasure to be able to provide a space in which talented young artist Leah Shenandoah can experiment and show recent and new work.

Leah Shenandoah is a Wolf Clan member of the Oneida-Iroquois of New York State. She is a multi-talented artist creating textile paintings and sculpture, wearable art, metalwork, and jewelry. She is also an accomplished songwriter and singer, whose vocals can be heard on award-winning recordings with her mother, Joanne Shenandoah.

Leah graduated from Syracuse University with a BS in textiles and is currently an MFA candidate at Rochester Institute of Tech-nology in metal-smithing and jewelry design. Her artwork has been exhibited extensively, including locally at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown and Lemoyne Art Gallery in Syr-acuse; nationally at the Museum of the American Indian; and in the exhibition “Changing Hands: Art without Reservation 3,” which originated at the Museum of Art and Design in New York

City and is currently traveling internationally. Her jewelry has won awards, including First Place at the Schemitzun Native Art ,_OPIP[PVU�PU������HUK�:LJVUK�7SHJL�H[�[OL�9PKNLÄLSK�-PUL�(Y[�Exhibition in 2006. Her work was also featured in Native People in the Winter 2009 issue.

([� ÄYZ[� NSHUJL�� [OL� VIQLJ[Z� PU� [OL� 3VUN`LHY� 4\ZL\T� NHSSLY`�bear no resemblance to what one might expect in an exhibition of “Native American art.” Much could be said about that, but SL[�\Z�IYPLÅ`�JVUZPKLY� Q\Z[� [^V�WVPU[Z��-PYZ[��^O`�ZOV\SK�3LHO�Shenandoah’s work conform to any preconceived notion of what American Indian art is or how it should appear? Native artists today, and for quite some time, have taken decisive steps IV[O�[V�KLÄUL�¸0UKPHU�ULZZ¹�HUK�[V�L_WHUK�[OL�WHYHTL[LYZ�VM�what constitutes American Indian art. Native artists today are freer than ever before to choose their subject matter, medium, and style without conforming to expectations, either from with-in their communities or from the public at large. They are also MYLL� [V� L_WSVYL� ]PZ\HS� HUK�J\S[\YHS� HMÄUP[PLZ�^P[O�V[OLY�^VYSK�traditions, as Leah does here, taking inspiration from Buddhism and other Asian traditions. This may most readily be seen in her work Goddess Hood: Buddha Inspired by Matriarchs of the Shenandoahs of 2013, as well as in the ornamentation and meaning of the silver smudging tool titled Cho Ku Rei (2010), a Reiki symbol of empowerment, positive energy, and protection from negative forces.

Secondly, that being said, despite the bold new look of much of Leah’s work, there is a great deal of her traditional Oneida heritage invested in it. For example, in the principal theme of the exhibition, Leah explores the form of the hood, O’whahsa’ in Oneida language, as a personal symbol of protection as well as an Oneida cultural symbol of Skyworld. Hoods are essential LSLTLU[Z�VM�[OL�MV\Y�V\[Ä[Z�PUJS\KLK�PU�[OL�L_OPIP[PVU��HUK�[OL`�are also the basic form of the six Goddess Hoods, which are ded-icated to strong female forebears or nurturing women who have contributed to Leah’s development as a person, artist, and healer. The emphasis on the feminine, in the hoods and throughout the exhibition, is in keeping with the matriarchal organization of Iroquois society, in which human beings are descended from :R`^VTHU��PUOLYP[�[OLPY�JSHU�HMÄSPH[PVUZ�[OYV\NO�[OL�MLTHSL�SPUL��and are governed by chiefs selected by the clan mothers.

Cho Ku Rei, 2010

Goddess Hood: Janet, 2013

O’WHAHSA’INTRODUCTION

Carol Ann Lorenz

Spring, 2009

In traditional Iroquois imagery, Skyworld is often depicted as a dome that covers as well as mirrors the earth. Skyworld and earth are part of a vast continuum or cycle in which Skyworld is both the origin of human beings and the place to which they will ultimately return at the end of their lives on earth. This idea is expressed in the painting on silk, Her Journey to Skyworld of 2005, in which Leah pays homage to those women in her life who have made the journey back to the spirit world.

The hoods, as metaphors for Skyworld, suggest a space within which one might commune with the ancestors and all aspects of the universe. This is also Leah’s intention in the three-dimension-al textile sculptures honoring the Four Protectors of the North, East, South, and West. Sometimes also called the Four Winds or Four Thunders, the spirit guardians of the four cardinal directions are widely venerated in Native American religion. Here, they are dramatically suspended from the ceiling to indicate that they belong to Skyworld, and at the same time they are positioned to create dome-like spaces under which visitors may pass and be comforted and healed. These sculptures are covered with a brightly colored tracery of lines suggesting veins or webs, them-selves symbolic of interconnectedness. These lines may also be seen in the wearable art on display. Finally, Leah has chosen to represent the Four Protectors in forms that are variations on an almond or amygdaloidal shape, which she uses to symbolize the seeds that Skywoman grasped as she fell from Skyworld. Those seeds became the beginnings of plant life on earth. The almond shape may also be seen in the earrings and necklace that Leah KLZPNULK�[V�HJJVTWHU`�[OL�MV\Y�OVVKLK�V\[Ä[Z�

The silver smudging tools that appear in this exhibition are at once sculpture, jewelry, and functioning apparatus of blessing and healing. Silver is a white metal favored by Iroquois and other Native American peoples. For the Iroquois, it is the basis of the symbolic covenant chain, which symbolizes meaningful relationships between peoples. As the Iroquois state, a silver chain may tarnish but it can be polished to regain its brilliance, just as human relationships may languish or become strained but with effort may regain their luster. A necklace included in the exhibition refers directly to this concept in its title, Covenant Chain (2010).

The silver and feathers in the smudging tools are just two of the TLKP\TZ� [OH[� YLÅLJ[� [YHKP[PVUHS� 5H[P]L� (TLYPJHU� TH[LYPHSP[ �̀�Leah works with contemporary materials that are readily avail-

able in the marketplace, of course, but also uses carefully chosen stones, copper, animal skins, cornhusks and other materials that have a deep history in Iroquois culture. These materials them-selves, as well as their textures and colors, carry meaning and have properties that are healing. Indeed, it is a widespread Na-tive American concept that not only materials, but also objects, images and colors can be healing. This is the critical nature of Leah’s calling – to beautify, to empower, and to heal.

I am grateful to Leah Shenandoah for lending her extraordinary art works for an exhibition at the Longyear Museum. I also owe thanks to the many Colgate University staff members and stu-dents whose help contributed to the success of this exhibition and brochure: Mark Williams, Rich Grant, Kip Manwarren, Jeff Golley, Mike Chlad, Jessica Muttitt, and Kayla Ponturo.

Covenant Chain, 2010

Her Journey to Skyworld, 2005

Four Protectors:Othole:ke (North), 2011Steel, cotton Lycra blend fabric, paper, glue, thread

Oneida Nation, Wolf ClanAti Nukwa: (South), 2011Steel, cotton Lycra blend fabric, paper, glue, thread

Oneida Nation, Wolf ClanTsi Tkake’:tohse’ (East), 2011Steel, cotton Lycra blend fabric, paper, glue, thread

Tsi’ Tetwatsha’thos (West), 2011Steel, cotton Lycra blend fabric, paper, glue, thread

Goddess Hoods:Janet, 2013-H\_�ÅV^LYZ��MLH[OLYZ��IYHZZ��WHPU[��MLS[��`HYU��Z[LLS��NS\L��^VVK��Aulterra EMF neutralizer

Buddha inspired by Matriarchs of the Shenandoahs, 2013-H\_�ÅV^LYZ��MHIYPJ��MLH[OLYZ��SLH[OLY��MLS[��NS\L��[OYLHK��Z[LLS��^VVK��Aulterra EMF neutralizer

Hannah Bones inspired by Matriarchs of the Smiths, 2013-H\_�ÅV^LYZ��KYPLK�SLH]LZ��KYPLK�OLYIZ��SLH[OLY��M\Y��KLLY�OVVM��ZPUL �̂�feathers, elk teeth, glue, thread, steel, wood, Aulterra EMF neutralizer.

Gert, 2013-H\_�ÅV^LYZ��WHST�SLH]LZ��`HYU��NS\L��[OYLHK��MLH[OLYZ��SLH[OLY��Z[LLS��wood, Aulterra EMF neutralizer

Sheila, 2013-H\_�ÅV^LYZ��KYPLK�ÅV^LYZ��KYPLK�SLH]LZ��MLH[OLYZ��OVYZL�OHPY��SLH[OLY��brass, steel, paint, thread, glue, wood, Aulterra EMF neutralizer

Rachel, 2013-H\_�ÅV^LYZ��KYPLK�SLH]LZ��MLH[OLYZ��SLH[OLY��IYHZZ��Z[LLS��WHPU[��[OYLHK��glue, wood, Aulterra EMF neutralizer

Jewelry:Diamonds and Gems, 2006Hand carved ebony, diamonds, tanzanite, mirror, glue, paint

Fire of Creation, 2005;̂ V�ÄUNLY�YPUNSterling silver, turquoise, peacock feather, glue, solder

Lessons, 2010Sterling silver, amethyst, paper, glue, solder

Loving Impermanence, 2008-V\Y�ÄUNLY�YPUNSterling silver, rutilated quartz, paper, chiffon, solder

For the Love of Creation, 2005Sterling silver, picture jasper, pearls, soapstone, velvet, glue

Protection, 2004Sterling silver, amethyst, white topaz, peridot

Covenant Chain, 2010*VWWLY��ÄUL�ZPS]LY�^PYL��ZVSKLY

Spring, 2009Forged sterling silver, gesso, colored markers, dyed cornhusks

Smudging Tools: Arcturus, 2010Sterling silver, eagle feather, cubic zirconia, glue

Cho Ku Rei, 2010Sterling silver, eagle feather, cubic zirconia, glue

Smudging Fan, 2010Sterling silver, eagle feather, felt, glue

Smudging Tool, 2010Sterling silver, eagle feathers, cubic zirconia, glue

Painting:Her Journey to Skyworld, 2005Novajet 880 print on silk charmeuse, 2005, 42” x 51”

/VVKLK�6\[Ä[Z!Yoskátste’ (Desirable), 2011Brass, sterling silver, paint, synthetic blend fabric, elastic trim, thread, glue, paper, Osiris shoes

Kanuhkwa’tslatsátste (Strong Medicine), 2011Brass, sterling silver, paint, cotton blend fabric, synthetic fabric, thread, paper, glue, Osiris shoes

Yoyánele’ (Good, Pretty, Nice), 2011Brass, sterling silver, paint, cotton blend fabric, synthetic fabric, thread, paper, glue, Osiris shoes

Ohtehla’shúha’ (Roots), 2010Brass, sterling silver, paint, cotton blend fabric, synthetic fabric, thread, paper, glue, Osiris shoes

CHECKLIST(All works loaned courtesy of the artist)

ARTIST STATEMENTLeah Shenandoah

The term O’WHAHSA’ is translated as “hood” in the Oneida Iroquois language. The Goddess Hoods and other works I have created represent protection, comfort, and healing for the wearer as well as the audience. Within this space we can embrace being one with All That Is, the Universe, our souls, our very core.

Since I was a young child, I would gaze at the sky and constantly wonder if anyone was looking back at me from a far off galaxy. The metaphysical question of how we came to be on this Earth is often the basis of many creation stories throughout the world. The Iroquois Creation story tells of a Skyworld, from which Skywoman fell to bring a new world and new life into being. Skyworld and its ancestral inhabitants have inspired most of my work.

While creating, I channel the energies I wish to convey through intention, vibration, color, sound, and material, which are all one and the same, esoterically speaking. I experience a transformation that heals me on many levels. Through healing myself, I create a transcendental space for all sentient beings to experience, if they choose to do so. I dedicate my life’s work to the healing of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants, in the service of the Highest Good of All There Is. The miracle that is life is a blessing; I am honored to share it with you.