Joanne Lynn Shenandoah (June 23, 1957 – November 22, 2021) was a Native American singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in the United States.
Her music combined traditional melodies with a blend of modern instrumentation, and her lyrics conveyed her interests in nature, women's lives and Iroquois culture.
She wrote music and developed her own style, blending traditional and contemporary techniques and instrumentation, singing in English and in Mohawk or other Iroquois languages.
Shenandoah was invited to Rome, Italy, to participate in the October 2012 celebration of the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Roman Catholic Native American saint.
She performed in major venues and at major public events, including at The White House, Carnegie Hall, five Presidential Inaugurations, Madison Square Garden, Crystal Bridges Museum, National Museum of the American Indian, The Ordway Theater, Hummingbird Centre, Toronto Skydome, Parliament of the World's Religions, (Africa, Spain and Australia) and Woodstock '94.
[9] She was presented with the Rigoberta Menchú – Highest award by the Native Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for her soundtrack in the documentary, Our Land Our Life.
Shenandoah married Doug George-Kanentiio (Akwesasne Mohawk), a co-founder of the Native American Journalists Association and a published author.