Joanne Shenandoah and Doug George Visit Yale

This year on Indigenous Peoples Day, Joanne Shenandoah and Doug George visited the Yale campus.  Sponsored by the Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO), the couple delivered a joint lunchtime lecture entitled, “Peace and Power of the Matriarch,” which outlined Mohawk history and the centrality of the matriarch.  Concluding their lecture, the Yale Group for the Study of Native America and the undergraduate group the Association of Native Americans at Yale co-hosted a meet and greet with Joanne and Doug at the campus Native American Cultural Center.  Later in the evening, Joanne Shenandoah gave an evening performance to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.  ODEO also hosted an Indigenous Peoples Day essay writing contest, Sebi Medina-Tayac (a Piscataway sophomore) won the contest, a $100 gift card, and he read his campus winning essay “American Mestizo” at the lunchtime lecture and evening performance.  His essay was published on Indian Country Today Media Network.  TlalliAztlan Moya-Smith (a Nahoa sophomore) and Justin Riner (a Pawnee sophomore) each received honorable mentions in the campus wide essay contest in addition to $25 gift cards.  Included is an image of Joanne, Doug, Professor Ned Blackhawk, and students from the Association of Native Americans at Yale.