Hi Queen’s students and Kingston community members! You may have noticed some additions to the Oxfam @ Queen’s Fair Trade Snack Bar for the last 3 weeks. Since March 15th, we have sold Indigenous-made beadwork, along with our Fair Trade snacks. Proceeds from this event will be donated to Oxfam International’s Unwrapped initiative. This initiative collects donations to support the livelihood of vulnerable communities worldwide. More specifically, we fundraised to purchase a goat for a family in need, to provide food security and marketable products like milk and wool. I’m happy to announce that we have exceeded this goal and raised enough money to purchase a goat for a family in need and donate to the Kingston Interval House. Though we’ve met our goal, we still have beadwork left! Beadwork pieces will still be available for purchase through Instagram. Check out Oxfam @ Queen’s on Instagram for more info!
Throughout this event, many of you wanted to learn more about the talented artists who graciously donated their beadwork pieces. Ask and you shall receive! Unwrapped features beadwork from three different artists, all members of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nations. Oxfam @ Queen’s had the opportunity to ask these lovely beaders more about themselves and their incredible work. Enjoy!
Meiyah Whiteduck
Student and Business Owner
Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nations
How long have you been practicing beadwork, and what inspired you to start?
“I have been beading since I was about 15 years old. My inspiration for beading came from seeing other dancers' beautiful beaded sets for their regalia. This inspired me to start beading in order to make my own beaded set for my fancy shawl regalia.”
How do you balance your artistic practice with other aspects of your life, such as work, family, or community responsibilities?
“This is something that I have struggled with greatly. I enjoy beading which makes me more inclined to focus on that more than other aspects of my life. Thankfully for me, I am able to share my love of beading with my family so I can visit and bead all in one. As for work and school, I make sure to focus on those aspects first before allowing myself downtime to finish beading projects.”
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you are working on that you are excited about?
“My focus right now is to continue to continue to develop my business “Whiteducks Creations”, and also to focus energy towards completing the beadwork for my new regalias such as beaded moccasins, yolk, and leggings.”
What advice would you offer to someone who is interested in learning more about Indigenous art and beadwork, or becoming an artist/beader themselves?
“My advice to those who would like to learn about Indigenous arts is to be willing to understand the time, energy, and resources that go into making the art, and price that comes along with it. My advice to new artists would be to watch videos online through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. If you are fortunate enough to know someone who beads, reach out to them and see if they are willing to teach you or show you tips and tricks. This art is a part of reclaiming our culture and decolonization and it is important that respect is given to our creations.”
Meiyah’s Pieces at the Unwrapped Event:
Shirley Kohoko
Elder and Knowledge Keeper
Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nations
How long have you been practicing beadwork, and what inspired you to start?
“Oh god, quite a while! At least 20 years or more. It was just a new craft to learn and do, and I ended up really enjoying it. My mom and my grandma used to bead, so I took inspiration from them.”
How do you hope your beadwork contributes to Indigenous art and culture, within both your community and more broadly?
“Everyone’s getting into beadwork now. It’s really nice to see the young ones getting into it and continuing to pass down the culture and art. It’s even being used in the school system right now (local elementary school, EDPS), which is really nice. They use it in math to help with counting and calculations. They use string beads and loom beads and get to do designs. I think it’s a really unique way to teach math and incorporate Indigenous culture. I hope we can see more representation like this in the future.”
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you are working on that you are excited about?
“Oh it’s just a hobby for me. I bead for myself and my family members and friends. I’m planning on trying another style of earring tomorrow, so I’m excited about that.”
What advice would you offer to someone who is interested in learning more about Indigenous art and beadwork, or becoming an artist/beader themselves?
“I would say when the opportunity comes to learn, jump in! Some people are fast learners, and for others it takes longer, so just keep at it. I learned from pinterest and youtube so those are good resources to look into. It took me a long time to get good at beading. Some styles are more complicated and take longer. It takes a while to know your materials too, specifically thread. Delica beads, those little guys can cut your thread! So it takes a while to know how to handle your materials, but just keep at it!”
Shirley’s Pieces at the Unwrapped Event:
Blaze Commanda
Successful Business Owner and Entrepreneur
Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nations
How long have you been practicing beadwork, and what inspired you to start?
“I’ve been practicing beadwork for about 10 years. It began as pure necessity, I wanted beadwork in my regalia because all of the other girls my age had beadwork, but I didn’t know anyone who would make me beadwork and my family was too poor to afford to buy it. I made myself hair pieces, struggled through loomwork and made some truly horrendous earrings. I learned through doing and picked up some tricks from old “Indian” beadwork books my grandmother had.”
How has your art evolved over time, and what changes have you noticed in your work?
“My beadwork flows with me, I prefer teaching at this point in my life. While I go into modes of beading I try to prioritize good energy into my beadwork rather than financial gain. I also find I’ve learned to create what I enjoy, rather than adhere to anyone else’s preference, and still people seem to enjoy them. My beadwork always reflects me, and you can almost always see how I am feeling through my beadwork.”
How do you balance your artistic practice with other aspects of your life, such as work, family, or community responsibilities?
“I bead when I have capacity. I struggle with mental illness and am unable to bead as much as I would like to, and that’s okay.
I can’t create beauty if I can’t:
feel it, like from my family,
see it, from exploring,
and
love it, like I love my First Nation.”
What advice would you offer to someone who is interested in learning more about Indigenous art and beadwork, or becoming an artist/beader themselves?
“First, I would advise to always support and amplify Indigenous voices and purchase from real Indigenous people. It needs to be understood indigenous art and beadwork is some people’s entire livelihood and, due to colonization and intergenerational trauma, something Indigenous people inherently practice. Indigenous people were forced into poverty and into being an essential “Circus” through practices like “Indian village” for white colonials’ entertainment and to scrape a living. This included selling and trading our art for little to nothing because it was all that was offered.
Do not EVER haggle an Indigenous headers prices.
If you are not Indigenous do not try to learn Indigenous beadwork to profit off of it. You are not entitled to it.
If you are looking for resources to learn to bead, go to YouTube! (Again, try to support Indigenous content creators)”
Blaze’s Pieces at the Unwrapped Event:
