As an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, and also of Southern Cheyenne descent, Shanoa grew up both on the Yakama Indian Reservation and in Seattle. Once a food gatherer for the Satus Longhouse, Shanoa has a deep respect for Indigenous knowledge that is held in sacred foods and plant medicines. With a passion for Native stories and history, she double majored with a B.A. degree in American Indian Studies and Communication from the University of Washington (UW). While at UW, she organized cultural awareness events as the American Indian Student Commission Director and served as Miss Yakama Nation 2011-2012 and nationally represented her community as Miss Indian Nations XIX. She was an inaugural member of the Native Action Network’s Leadership Cohort where she worked on a short film project on the American Indian Women Service League. While at the Seattle Indian Health Board, she coordinated the Kiis Youth Council and organized the first Youth Gathering of Native Americans wellness retreat in King County; an event to raise suicide prevention awareness among Native youth.
Shanoa enjoys discussing Native identity in film, books, and media, and taking pictures of nature. She’s currently taking classes to learn her Ichishkíin (Yakama language) and Cheyenne languages.
