Identity

I am Shannondoah and I am Tsalagi.

As I return Home and learn the Old Ways; the Traditional Ways of my Indigenous Ancestors, I become whole again, honoring my holiness.

I identify as a woman of North American Indigenous descent. I am Tsalagi (Cherokee).

Spirituality is a Way of life for Indigenous people, versus an organized religion. When asked “What is your religion?” I will now say “Earthkeeper” as it is a contemporary word that most accurately describes my “Indigenous religion”. Our Indigenous Spirituality is following the way of Love; a Love + Faith in the Oneness and Inter~Connection with Divine Mother Father Creator God + Mother Earth + All Our Relations.

I was not baptized and raised in a Christian religion like all my Irish Catholic family and cousins. Nor was I baptized into any of our ancestral Southern Protestant Churches like all my Southern family.

Even though I wasn't raised in the Church, we did go to Church every Christmas and sometimes Easter. 

I was raised in the South when I was younger, visiting my grandparents in the summers and for visits throughout the year in Jacksonville Beach Florida. My Cherokee Pop Pop's family bloodlines run deep through the Carolina's, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and all around the South...plus West all the way up through Montana, Dakotas and North Western Canada.

Join me on my heritage.com...Click Here!

I've been building the family tree since 2019 , researching only my Cherokee Pop Pop's side of the family tree, because that's the side no one knew about, or spoke of. These are my family branches that got lost...and the stories they tried to erase.

Catholicism is connected to my Irish family lineage from County Cork, Ireland. And recently I had a few funny memories with my Irish Grandma...so actually and technically I think I was most likely secretly baptized and confirmed in my Grandma's church in Sunnyside Queens, NY. Which is all good to me now that I found Church and I found and am finding my family. Cousin by cousin...Dozens of Cousins.

As well as Tsalagi from my mother, I am second generation Irish from County Cork, Ireland from my father. So my Dad's family are very Irish...and it is no wonder my Grandma's Prayers led me to not only one, but four Amazing churches all located inj and around the South. None are Catholic, and that's all good...

Isn't it more important that we just connect with God and learn to Pray? 

And That we Pray together in our Love + Faith with God?

I am of mixed ancestries; Tsalagi and Irish sprinkled with Scottish, French and a tiny grain of Scandinavian.

I Love and Respect all of my ancestral lineages, as well as all of the ancestral lineages of Mother Earth’s children. 

I believe We Are All Connected, All Our Relations, to the Divine Mother Father Creator God within each of our Hearts’ Centers.

Regardless of our personal spiritual/religious choices, We are all connected to Mother Earth and to the Divine Creator within Each Other. We are All Connected.

As an Earthkeeper + Lightworker, I choose to believe in Universal Unity + Harmony. 

I choose to walk the Beauty Way following the Holy Whole Heart’s Path.

I honor the Connection and Sacredness of All Life.

All Our Relations.

We Are One.

We Rise Together.