After Bethany launched her business, she returned home for three months to plan her next collection. While visiting the only gas station on the reservation, a man approached her while she was waiting in line to pay and asked her if she’d like to buy a pair of earrings he’d made. “At the time I didn’t know this would be another lightbulb, life-changing moment,” she remembers. The man had priced the intricate jewelry at $15 so he could buy gas for the week. Bethany’s heart sank—with her knowledge of material cost and labor, she knew the earrings were worth at least $100. She wanted to do more to amplify the work and skills of indigenous makers, so in 2016 she launched the B. Yellowtail Collective, a platform for sharing and selling the handmade work of Native American artisans and creating a “force of creative indigenous energy.” Now the works of artists from tribes all over North America are elevated to a market where they’re priced appropriately and seen by a farther-reaching customer base.
“There’s so much more out there,” Bethany says, adding that this step is just the beginning of how she’d like to help strengthen the workforce of her Native community. “This is a small sampling of what Indian country really has to offer. They jumped in with me and it’s been such a joy to celebrate with many different artists and community members.”
ANDREA PRESTON
NAVAJO
Describe what you make:
I create art/jewelry that is inspired by the tradition of Navajo weaving geometrics and the influences of powwow culture. I use multimedia to integrate traditional imagery with modern contemporary design concepts. For the B. Yellowtail Collection, I create specific beaded jewelry and accessories. I’d like to think that my work speaks of truth and healing that stems from my own personal journey as a contemporary indigenous woman.
I really try to “lean into” the uncomfortable when it comes to obstacles in my life, not in a way where I’m in danger of course, but in ways that I am face-to-face with the things that make me uncomfortable. I lean into it until it’s no longer something that is uncomfortable or limiting. It’s not always easy to be brave when leaning into that uncomfortableness, though, and for those moments, I lean on the strong women in my life and I create art. I’ve been blessed with a handful of strong women, including Bethany, who support me and hold me up when I need to feel brave for life. And art—it’s always been medicine. It has helped me in more ways than one.
ALAYNEE GOODWILL
LAKOTA/DAKOTA SIOUX
Describe what you make:
I create contemporary accessories using traditional materials and artistic practices.
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
I was diagnosed with SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) in 2014, and it completely changed my life. I struggled a lot the first two years. It wasn’t easy coming to terms with limitations and fear of the unknown. I worked a lot on my mental health and found a lot of strength in just believing in myself and using the tools I already had in knowing what is best for my life.
JAYMIE CAMPBELL
MISSISSAUGA OJIBWE, CURVE LAKE FIRST NATION, ANISHINAABE
Describe what you make:
My work is inspired by my Anishinaabe heritage, but also influenced by the time I’ve spent with the Cree people of the Rocky Mountains and the Dene of the north. I owe great gratitude to the Cree elders who have taught and continue to teach the old ways, which inspire much of my work. I want to inspire young people to know you can be athletic and artsy, scientific and spiritual, a warrior and an artist. White Otter Co. strives to use authentic materials in all of the work, and you will often see the use of hand-tanned hides, horsehair, and porcupine quills. Much of the material is sourced from local communities and elders, though I put a strong focus on learning the traditional skills in order to use them in my work and pass them down to future generations. I focus much of my work on traditional moccasins and wraparounds, framed beadwork, jewelry. and beaded smudge feather wraps.When I face fear in my personal or creative life, I find strength in my family and my ancestors. I often feel my grandmothers around me, which lends me the strength they all collectively hold to be strong Anishinaabe women. My parents, siblings, and husband are all supportive and encourage me along my path personally and in creative fulfillment. Spending time on the land also always renews my spirit and grounds me in Mother Earth.
JAIDA GREY EAGLE
OGLALA LAKOTA
Describe what you make:
I make long, beaded fringe earrings that are unique by the gradient colors. I use size 13 charlotte-cut beads that make them light on the ears to wear. I love big earrings but cannot wear heavy earrings, so I found my way around that by using tiny beads. I intermix precious metal beads with contemporary and vintage beads. Each pair is unique in that I use so many colors, it’s hard to re-create the same pair.
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
I find strength in all walks of life in a note my late mother left us. She wrote, “Never give up! Fully live in this big beautiful world and do not limit yourself. Always believe you can truly do anything you want. I did.”
JENNIFER YOUNGER
TLINGIT EAGLE/BEAR, KAAGWAANTAAN
Describe what you make:
Contemporary engraved copper and silver jewelry, with Tlingit formline design, floral patterns, and spruce root basket patterns. I occasionally incorporate antique trade beads and spruce roots into my pieces.
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
Having an element of fear does motivate me to work harder at what I do. Some of my fears are: Can I continue to support myself and my family doing this art form? Will this be enough to help carry the Tlingit art of formline to the next generations? Will people like and accept what I am creating? I don’t want to offend my elders or anyone, for that matter. There are times that the fear and worry start to creep in, over circumstances or a decision. That’s when I remind myself that everything happens for a reason that may not yet be apparent, and that I need to have faith and be patient. Surrounding yourself with people who uplift and support you is also huge. I’ve had the good with the bad. I choose to focus on the positive while dealing with the negative.
DEBORAH MAGEE SHERER
PIIKANI NATION (BLACKFEET)
Describe what you make:
I use my ancestors’ medium of porcupine quillwork in my creative work. Quillwork is an ancient art medium among North American Native tribes that was and still is considered a sacred art among many.
In my tribe, one must go through the proper protocols and be given the rights by an elder or another quillworker to do quillwork. There are protocols for gathering and harvesting the quills, always with respect for the animal. Quillworkers are to be peaceful, well-grounded people; if you have lots of chaos and conflict in your life, it will be reflected in your quillwork. Therefore, quillwork teaches us how to live as nit-si-tapi, or “real people.”
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
Fear is a deadly, paralyzing emotion that keeps us from going forward in our creative, as well as personal, life. It keeps us from reaching our creative potential and hinders our creative exploration and growth. I deal with fear by analyzing it, taking it apart piece by piece, and naming each fear. I offer it to my God and ask for it to be taken away. If it doesn’t change the emotion, then I have to let go of whatever was the cause of that fear, be it an art show, a toxic person, or even a piece I’m working on. Then it loses its power over me and blows away with the chinook winds.
CATHERINE BLACKBURN
DENE (ENGLISH RIVER FIRST NATION)
Describe what you make:
Inspired by the northern floral and geometric designs of my Dene roots, my handmade jewelry is a fusion of traditional and contemporary. My indigenous-made collections bring together rich color and culture to form luxurious, wearable art. Blurring the lines between everyday wear and bold signature pieces, this dynamic collection exudes edgy glamour and timeless northern design in jewelry that is both refined and functional.
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
In two ways: I either throw myself into work, or I break completely from it and focus on my mental health by stepping away from the studio. I have a tremendously supportive family and group of friends, so no matter the distance between us, a phone call or visit seems to remedy whatever indecision, fear, anxiety, or stress I’m dealing with at the moment. If I throw myself into work, it is beadwork. Beading is a healing medicine, and through focus and reflection I can slow everything down and recharge.
MAYA STEWART
CHICKASAW, CHOCTAW, MUSCOGEE (CREEK)
Describe what you make:
I make accessible fashion accessories and handbags with high-quality materials from Italy and Japan, and inspired by my Native American heritage and rock ’n’ roll.
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
I find strength by focusing on positive energy in my surroundings and beauty in even the smallest things in my life.
GEO NEPTUNE
PESKOTOMUHKATI (PASSAMAQUODDY)
Describe what you make:
I gather and prepare black ash and sweet grass to make contemporary versions of traditional Passamaquoddy baskets, and incorporate glass and metal beads as well as semiprecious gems into my wearable woven art.
How do you find strength when you face fear in either your personal life or creative work?
When I face fear in my personal life, it reflects in my creative work, and I find strength by taking the traditions that have been handed down to me and adding my own spirit to them. I think that in order to survive, indigenous peoples have constantly had to adapt and evolve our traditions, and our art is a physical representation of that; I find strength in knowing that by making baskets, our stories will be accessible to future generations, and Two-Spirit youth will not feel as alone as I once did.