The Celebration of Indigenous Peoples

Growing up in the United States I have seen the normalization in mockery of Indigenous people of this land. Between 'history' books portraying false narratives to racist cartoons geared towards young children, historically, America has been treating its Native population with disregard and continuous exploitation.

I was also fortunate to experience Pow Wows as a young child. To feel the power in a song, to feel medicine in a drum beat... to hear the sweet sound of a jingle dress in motion and to play, eat, and become amazed by the beautiful intricacies of detail the native work entails.

When I looked from inside a Pow Wow through eyes as a child, it all made sense to me. When I stepped outside into the city I lived in, everyday commonalities felt barbaric. They still do.

Today, I choose to educate my daughter by sourcing my materials carefully so that each part of what she learns is directly FROM the culture she is learning about. This actually proved a bit difficult at times as there are, sadly, many more white-washed versions based in assumptions to be found on the internet.

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