Shinnecock Voices: Art Therapy in the Shinnecock Community

How’s your mental health? Life brings ups and downs, good days and some bad. Whether you’re a 6-year-old first grader or a 60-year-old grandparent, we all experience challenges to the mental state of our health. It affects people of all social classes and ethnic backgrounds.

For people living in the community of the Shinnecock Nation, mental health is a big topic. Cold winters might lead to cabin fever, or loss of a loved one might bring on loneliness or depression.

Historical trauma also plays a big role in the overall morale of Shinnecock tribal members. Land loss, environmental harm and the history of attempted cultural genocide affect our emotions, thoughts and psyche in a myriad of ways.

For many, growing up in a community that feels invisible to outsiders is daunting. For a people that has lived on and taken care of this area for over 15,000 years, experiencing vacationers and settlers simply ignoring the community is emotional labor. Sometimes the disregard comes in the form of homes and golf courses being built on the graves of our ancestors.

Other times it’s laws on beaches that prohibit Shinnecock members from enjoying the wonders of the Atlantic Ocean.

Still, other life moments that people all over the world experience, such as poverty and bullying, contribute to mental health struggles.

Shinnecock tribal citizen Celeste Syas has always been passionate about breaking the stigma of mental health. Syas grew up in the Shinnecock Territory, and her passions led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from the University of Rhode Island, and then later a master’s degree in social work from Stony Brook University.

Syas has taken her education and, in 2021, founded Matcik Wellness, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit aimed at creating healthy minds for kids and youth through nature and the arts.

Syas’s journey into the arts began in high school, where she found herself placed in a pottery class. She found making pottery to be relaxing and very calming for the mind.

After college, she started her own soap business, where she handcrafted soaps using natural ingredients including essential oils to help cope with mental health. An idea sprang into her head: What if she could bring the calming elements of art and the natural world to kids within the community to help them cope with mental health issues?

In August 2022, the National Institutes of Health published a paper on art therapy. In the paper, it was stated that art therapy not only can treat mental illness, but it also aids in dealing with psychological challenging behaviors and cognitive decline, and it enhances quality of life.

Syas became certified in art therapy and started bringing pottery classes to the Shinnecock Boys and Girls Club. The response was incredible, and the children yearned for more pottery and art classes. Matcik Wellness also brings animals like goats to the Wuneechanunk Shinnecock Preschool, which has had a really calming effect on the kids who attend.

Matcik Wellness is hoping to build its own art studio in the near future to provide another safe space for kids to experience art therapy. Until then, they will keep providing kids with fun and creative ways to express themselves and deal with the stresses of this thing we call life.

To learn more about Celeste Syas and Matcik Wellness, visit matcik-wellness.com.

Christian Weaver (Shinnecock), Wampum Group president and vice president of philanthropy at GRID Alternatives, has been in the development and strategic planning industry for nearly 20 years. Weaver is passionate about lifting communities and has dedicated his career to making a positive impact in the lives of others.

“Shinnecock Voices” is a monthly column in which citizens of the Shinnecock Nation share stories and opinions and discuss the projects and campaigns they’re working on, to allow readers an inside view into their incredible community.