Native American and Indigenous Students

Honoring Native Experience, Celebrating Native Culture

• Indigenous Peoples' Day and Native Heritage Month. We officially recognize these events with Indigenous films, lectures, comedians, social dances and other cultural festivities.
• Land Acknowledgment Statement. All major University events begin with a statement honoring the valued partnership with our Haudenosaunee neighbors: “We acknowledge with respect the Onondaga Nation, Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee, the Indigenous People on whose ancestral lands Syracuse University now stands.”
• Haudenosaunee Flag. We proudly fly this flag alongside the U.S. flag across campus, including at the JMA Wireless Dome, Hendricks Chapel, John A. Lally Athletics Complex, the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), the College of Law and the Goldstein Student Center.
• Three Sisters Sovereignty Garden Planting. This event was the culmination of a student-led effort to grow food sustainably while honoring thousands of years of Indigenous wisdom and ecological knowledge.
• Gayaneñhsä•ʔgo•nah. This artwork on the Shaw Quadrangle honors over 1,000 years of Haudenosaunee history and solidifies a future commitment of the Syracuse University community to the Haudenosaunee and the Onondaga.

Indigenous Faculty and Staff

We’ve engaged a growing number of Native American faculty and staff across the University. Here are some of the people who can guide you on your journey:

Percy Abrams (Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan) is a professor who teaches the certificate program in Iroquois linguistics. He holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University at Buffalo and specializes in the morphology and phonology of the Iroquois languages.

Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy (Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan) is an assistant director in admissions overseeing Partnerships Programs and Indigenous Recruitment. She also serves as a Native American liaison who works closely with our Native Student Program.

Hayley Marama Cavino (Ngāti Whitikaupeka, Ngāti Pūkenga (Maori), Aotearoa/New Zealand)

Melissa Chipman (Cherokee descent) is an assistant professor of Arctic paleoecology and paleoclimate. She holds a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution and conservation biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She specializes in both climate and environmental reconstructions in the Arctic.

Mariaelena Huambachano (Quechua, Peru) is an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. She specializes in food and climate justice, environmental governance, agroecology, public policy, community-driven development, traditional ecological knowledge and decolonizing methodologies.

Aaron Luedtke (Suquamish descent) is an assistant professor of history. He holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and his research sits at the intersection of Native American history, Indigenous studies and early American history with a focus on the 19th century.

Scott Manning Stevens, Ph.D. (Akwesasne Mohawk, Bear Clan) is the director of the Native American and Indigenous Studies program, and the director of the Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice.

Neal Powless (Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan) serves as University Ombuds, providing an informal, safe space for faculty, staff and graduate students to discuss issues confidentially.

Susanne Rios (Pima, Pueblo and Xicana) is a therapist at the Barnes Center at The Arch and can provide culturally appropriate mental health support.

Chie Sakakibara (Ryūkyūan descent, Japan) is an associate professor in the Geography and the Environment Department. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma and specializes in Indigenous geographies, environmental humanities, humanistic geography and Arctic studies.

Darrin White '17 (Onondaga Nation, Eel Clan) is the interim program coordinator for the Native Student Program.

Diane Schenandoah (Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan) is Honwadiyenawa’sek (One who helps them) to Syracuse University and Faithkeeper of Oneida Nation.

Scholarships and Financial Support for Indigenous Students

We offer several scholarships and grants specifically for Indigenous students, making the University’s rich educational experiences available to those who qualify.

Indigenous Alumni

Ongwehonwe Alumni Association

Ongwehonwe, the Onondaga word for First Nation peoples, is also the name of Syracuse University’s ever-growing Indigenous alumni group, with more than 600 members representing every school and college at the University. The association connects current students with Native American alumni who are part of the global Orange community. In 2020, the first dedicated Ongwehonwe Alumni Gathering was held as part of the University’s signature homecoming event, Orange Central.

Notable Alumni

• Robert Odawi Porter ’86, senior advisor and Native American expert, Dentons Law Firm
• Ann Drumheller ’89, special assistant for Native American initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution and the first Native woman to letter all four years in volleyball
• Oren Lyons ’58, H’93, Turtle Clan Faithkeeper, Syracuse University's first Native graduate and a frequent lecturer at the United Nations
• Stephanie Waterman G’04, assistant professor at the University of Rochester and the first Onondaga to earn a Ph.D. from Syracuse University
• Michael Taylor G’05, visiting professor at Ithaca College and author of Contesting Constructed Indian-ness
• Brett Bucktooth ’06, Syracuse University All-American lacrosse player, National Lacrosse League All-Star, and member of the Iroquois Nationals and Onondaga Redhawks lacrosse teams
• Leah Shenandoah ’06, singer, songwriter, jeweler and multimedia artist
• Sarah Moses ’06, G’10, staff writer for The Syracuse Post-Standard
• Amber Hill ’09, lacrosse player, first known Native American woman to play in the NCAA tournament
• Karla General L’10, attorney with the Indian Law Resource Center
• Michelle D. Schenandoah G’19, inspirational speaker, writer, thought leader and traditional member of the Onʌyota’:aka ( Oneida) Nation Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy

Contact

Request more information or contact Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, Assistant Director in Admissions overseeing Partnerships Programs, Indigenous Recruitment and Native American Liaison at 315.443.4844 or tbluewol@syr.edu.