GNY EP.153 | Rematriation with Michelle Schenandoah

Michelle Schenandoah on Rematriation, Food Sovereignty, and the PBS Series Rematriated Voices On Good News York, host Noah Chrysler interviews Syracuse-based Oneida Nation Wolf Clan member Michelle Schenandoah, founder of the nonprofit Rematriation and host of WCNY/PBS’s Rematriated Voices. Schenandoah explains Haudenosaunee naming traditions and defines rematriation as “returning the sacred to the mother,” describing its applications in cultural revitalization, governance, language, and food sovereignty through preserving and returning ancestral seeds. She discusses environmental impacts of climate change and highlights season one of Rematriated Voices (five episodes), including topics such as the indigenous roots of U.S. democracy, Haudenosaunee influence on women’s suffrage, matrilineal culture, and the Doctrine of Discovery’s ongoing legal and educational effects. Schenandoah invites viewers to a March 31 WCNY screening event, promotes DIY community screenings, and encourages support via Rematriation.org to help fund a potential season two. 00:00 Meet Michelle Schenandoah 01:26 Haudenosaunee Naming Traditions 02:12 What Rematriation Means 04:26 Food Sovereignty and Seeds 09:12 Earth Relationship and Climate 12:00 Retried Voices Season One 15:12 Season Two and Screening Events 17:32 Which Episode Matters Most 18:17 Science Meets Sweetgrass 18:43 Doctrine of Discovery Today 19:41 Why Indigenous Voices Vanish 22:32 What Visibility Changes 23:45 School Curriculum Gaps 26:00 Textbook Erasure Stories 31:21 From Outrage to Action 35:39 How to Support Rematriation