In this episode, guest Shondiin Mayo discusses her cultural identity and how it weaves with her bachelor’s degree and her future goals. We also chat about other fun topics like native games, boat racing, and beaded earrings (of course).
Shondiin Mayo is Diné (Navajo) and Denaa and is of the Bitterwater Clan and born to the Koyukon Athabascan people. Her name means “Sunshine” in the Navajo language as she is originally from Stevens Village, Alaska, and grew up in both Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Navajo Nation. Shondiin’s childhood was influenced by the subsistence lifestyle of fishing and living in a rural Alaska village as well as spending time on the reservation with her family. There, she learned values such as an appreciation for the land, preservation of traditional knowledge, and the responsibility to continue her heritage.
Shondiin recently graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in Creative Media and Film with an emphasis in Documentary and a minor in Ethnic Studies. Shondiin enjoys traveling and learning about other Indigenous communities. She also enjoys learning about her heritage and participating, in community events or taking part with her family, in subsistence activities such as boat racing, berry picking, and harvesting sheep in the Navajo Nation.
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