Diane Schenandoah ’11 Shares Indigenous Principles and Practices as Honwadiyenawa’sek (One Who Helps Them) at the Barnes Center (With Podcast)

It’s been over a year since Diane Schenandoah joined the staff at the Barnes Center at The Arch as Honwadiyenawa’sek, the Haudenosaunee word for “one who helps them.”

Firmly rooted in her Haudenosaunee heritage—her mother was a clan mother of Oneida Nation’s wolf clan; her father an Onondaga Nation chief—Schenandoah brings teachings of gratitude, faith, peace and inner resilience to students who meet with her. A wide range of healing modalities, including energy work and acupressure, art therapy, dream interpretation, tuning forks, and ritualistic smudging with sage and tobacco, are included in the toolkit she uses to help students find their center in today’s hectic world.

Schenandoah has also brought various Haudenosaunee ceremonies, customs, learning opportunities and events to campus since joining the staff—including a monthly full moon ceremony (the next one is on  Wednesday, Dec. 7), monthly group meditation sessions and the introduction of sage and print copies of the Thanksgiving address in the Barnes Center pharmacy.

With November marking the celebration of Native Heritage Month, we invited Schenandoah to join the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast, where she shares about her life growing up on Oneida Nation lands with her close-knit family; her spiritual principles and practices; her role as faithkeeper; her art and singing careers; and her experience at Syracuse since joining the team at the Barnes Center.

Students interested in scheduling an appointment with Schenandoah are encouraged to call the Barnes Center at 315.443.8000 or send her an email.

Check out episode 123 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Schenandoah. A transcript [PDF] is also available.