The Ways

Raised Beadwork: Connection by Design

Eliza Skenandore: For me, raised beadwork is a way to express myself. So, you’ll see pieces that are unique to me because these are the colors that I enjoy. These are the styles that I use in my everyday life.

Raised beadwork keeps our culture alive.

Shekolí. Yutyátashnolats ní· yukyáts. Onʌyoteˀa·ká· níˀi· Wakkwáho niwaki’taló·tʌ

My English name is Eliza Skenandore. And my Oneida name is Yutyátashnolats, which means “she moves quickly.” And I serve as both the library director for the

Oneida Community Library, but also I consider myself an artist and a culture advocate for our community.

So, raised beadwork is a style that is done among the Haudenosaunee. In our language, we say Lotinuhsyu·niˀ. It’s the people of the longhouse. So, our homelands are in New York. Those six nations all do the raised beadwork style.

It’s very mathematical. And so, it’s like tension, the amount of spacing you put in each stitch to get that uniform look. You have to be so precise.

When I first started, there wasn’t really anyone teaching in this community. Occasionally there would be people from out east that would come teach in our community, but the classes were really expensive. And as a college student, I couldn’t afford, like, those classes.

When I was starting my associate’s degree, the tribe has this program that is for student interns. And it just changed my entire life track. I was under the collection management supervisor and she needed help moving the collection from offsite to a new location. And I opened this drawer and it’s this mini raised beaded collection. And they’re all miniature of our, like, raised beadwork. And I just fell in love.

And I’m just like, “Sarah, can I take photos of this? And can I, like…” She’s like, “Take however much time you want.” And so, I’m like, counting beads and I’m taking photos, and I started recreating some of the pieces that were in the collection.

I feel like as a library director, I’m making sure that our stories are protected and our stories are shared. It’s just completely full circle to find myself being the director and becoming a mentor for the youth. Growing up here in this community and being able to give back to the community that gave so much to me.

In the library, we’re not only just a place for books, we’re a place for people. We’re teaching cultural values. We’re teaching knowledge. We’re taking the interests

of our community and making sure that they have those opportunities to learn what they want to learn. I feel like the library is a place where our community can be heard, and it’s a place where they can feel welcomed no matter what background they come from or where they are in their state of learning.

My biggest mentor was my father. He instilled that our culture is important because he didn’t find out that he was Native American ’til he was in fourth grade, from a kid bullying him that he was Indian. He didn’t want that for us. He wanted to make sure that we knew who we are. I feel like with every generation, our culture, our language, our stories get stronger and stronger.

That’s what keeps our culture alive is being able to pass it from person to person.