Nya:wëh Sgë:nö’, my name is Norah Stevens!
In mid-February I started working for the SNI Newsletter as the Cattaraugus Reporter. I am the proud daughter of Cheryl Pierce, Glen Lay & Eric Stevens.
I am a member of the Wolf Clan. I reside on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in Newtown with my sister, Aryien Stevens, her cat along with my two dogs. I enjoy crafting, traveling, and just hanging out having all the laughs with friends, family and my pets.
I am excited to be part of the team here at Newsletter. Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, both maternal (Francis “Bo” Johnson & Eldana Johnson) and paternal (Karmen & Carrie (Hemlock) Stevens) and later my step grandfather whom I considered a grandparent as well, Edgar Lay.
They would often tell me stories to either teach me a lesson, introduce me to something new, pass along knowledge or even sooth me in the middle of the night when waking up from a bad dream and couldn’t fall back asleep. I was always one of those kids who asked all the questions, “why though?” They were thankfully blessed with patience and kindness and always found an answer for me whether it was personal experience, someone else’s experience, or something they had read.
Oral tradition is a big part of Hodínöhšö:ni:h culture and my own personal upbringing. Telling those stories is how our history lives on. To be able to report on topics and publish it for others to read and gain knowledge from is a great honor that I am eager to uphold.
I want to thank the ladies from the Newsletter Department for helping me along the way to navigate this new path.
Norah is stationed in our Cattaraugus Office, located at 11 Thomas Indian School (TIS) Dr., Irving, NY 14081. She can be reached at 716-532-4900, ext. 5424 or via email at nstevens@sni.org.
