NWT Arts

I have a lot of different interests as an artist and I always work on many projects at once. We are fortunate to have access to different crafting workshops in Fort Simpson, where I have learned to make beaver fur hats and mitts, leather handbags, and other various items. I also do a lot of sewing for my own family and my three kids, including slippers and moccasins. Most of the time, for my business, I am focused on making beaded earrings with a little bit of tufting.

The earrings that I love making the most are the ones with the moose and reindeer hair tufted cabs in the middle. I sew using the two-needle beading method, which is the most comfortable for me since it is what I learned as I was growing up. I used to make everyday wear pieces, such as small studded earrings, but I am now leaning towards bigger statement pieces.

I was born in the morning, hence my name. I’ve always been awe-struck by sunrises and sunsets. In my work, I often use the different hues that you find in sunrises, from yellow and orange to pink and purple. I also love to work with blues and neutral colours that remind me of the beautiful Dehcho skies. I am grateful to be able to create in such a special place.

From Grade 1 to 5, I lived at a homestead in Trout River with my parents. I was homeschooled there and learned a lot of on-the-land skills. I also learned spending time with the women on my mom’s side of the family. My grandmother had 16 children, and they all developed very delicate skills with their hands. They all learned how to use quills, moose hair, and beads, working on moose hides and so on. I was very fortunate to grow up in my family.

My mom, Cathy, and my aunties, Berna and Lucy, always wanted us to learn new skills. They would teach us and give us the materials we needed to create what we wanted. To this day, my mom is my biggest inspiration. Her attention to detail and her ability to teach what she knows is incredible. When the project we are working on isn’t up to her standards, she would have us take it apart and do it again, because this is how she learned from her mother. I feel lucky to have been raised by women who had so much traditional knowledge to share.

Beading is a meditation for me. I try to keep positive thoughts as I work, and I make sure the space I work in feels good too. My creative process varies depending on the day, the week, the month, and even the season I find myself in. I usually bead and sew more from late Fall and Winter to early Spring. In the Summer I tend to use more bright colours, and gradually move towards more neutrals and cooler tones in the colder months.

I think it’s important for everyone to engage in their cultural practice and to learn as much as we can while our knowledge keepers are with us. Creating art connects me to my culture because it allows me to recall all the teachings I gathered in my life. Something I learned from my mom, who learned it from hers, is that people will teach us how to do things, but it is important to learn to do those things our own way.