What a year it has been! No one could have predicted how this year could have possibly gone but through it all, our communities across Turtle Island have remained strong, caring for one another and ensuring that the most vulnerable among us have what they need.
This year also taught us that now is the time to disrupt the status quo. From the frontlines of the Wet’suwet’en Access Point to solidarity with the global Black Lives Matter Movement and the victory of the Mi’kmaq taking control over the east coast seafood industry. This was the year for us to rise up!
While we celebrate these achievements and every effort made towards greater Indigenous sovereignty, we still recognize that there is a long way to go before Indigenous Peoples achieve true liberation in so-called Canada.
One of the ways we can support this movement is by shopping local, ethical, and Indigenous this holiday season.
Not only does this small act of resistance help to redistribute wealth back into Indigenous communities, but it also helps increase Indigenous visibility in the business community which challenges negative stereotypes and shows others the excellent work that we have to offer.
Plus. by supporting Indigenous businesses, makers, and artists, we are supporting Indigenous families to achieve their hopes and dreams - paving the way for future generations.
To this end, we have curated a 2020 Holiday Gift Guide, full of incredible Indigenous brands for you to support! Each piece included has been carefully selected to bring you local, ethical, and Indigenous-made gifts for everyone on your list!
Decolonizing Daughters
https://www.instagram.com/adecolonizingdaughter/
Mixing urban and traditional wellness, these beautifully made medicines are hand-crafted, holistic, sustainably sourced, and traditionally made. Continuing traditions passed down by their mothers and grandmothers, Decolonizing Daughters are reclaiming their roots and stepping into their legacy as traditional healers by offering hand-made massage bars, floral hydration sprays, natural lotions, medicine bath teas, essential oil rollers, beadwork, non-toxic candles, and medicine kits.
Awasis Boutique
https://www.instagram.com/awasisboutique/
Made by a Mama of two little ones, Awasis Boutique celebrates Indigenous culture for the next generation. Offering quality, Indigenous-made items for the littles members of your family! Choose from custom made bibs, blankets, and clothing, Awasis Boutique blends Cree and English words on their clothing - the first of its kind in Saskatchewan - and every item gives a portion of profits back to the community! When we wrap our own baby in these blankets, we feel that we are wrapping him up in all the teachings, hopes, and dreams that we have for his future.
Seeds as Ceremony
https://www.instagram.com/seedsasceremony/
The perfect gift for the gardener or foodie in your life! Founded by four Indigenous womxn, Seeds as Ceremony is decolonizing our relationship with food and encouraging food sovereignty, reconnecting Indigenous communities to their self-sufficient ancestral roots.
Made with small living spaces in mind, Seeds as Ceremony equips you with everything you need to harvest your own greens, increase the nutritional value in your daily meals, and feel good about moving closer to total food security.
While growing your own food. You’ll be supporting Qqs Project Society in running the Granny Gardens project in Bella Bella, BC. A delivery model food security project that aims to give the Heiltsuk People a greater sense of agency and power in these uncertain times; all while localizing their food supply. It’s a project that provides soil, a curated selection of seeds, and planter boxes they build, all for the community.
Red Lightning Gear
https://www.instagram.com/red_lightning_gear/
Inspired by the strength of Indigenous Women, Red Lightning Gear is a clothing brand for both everybody, created to honour the wild, powerful, force of nature that is Indigenous People. Cozy sweatpants, hoodies, and t-shirts, Red Lightning Gear is another Indigenous-made, streetwear brand with a strong message.
Originally inspired by the life of a sister, gone too soon, Red Lightning Gear pays honour to the lives of Indigenous Women, taken too early by racism, hate and violence.
Coastal Bead Collective
https://www.instagram.com/coastalbeadcollective/
Mixing together traditional and contemporary worlds, the Coastal Bead Collective features beautiful, original beadwork designs, handmade by three Indigenous Womxn. Each piece is made with intent, recognizing the beauty of the natural world around us. Every piece is one of a kind and takes inspiration from the Pacific Northwest, where the lineage of the artists go back over 10,000 years.
Cheekbone Beauty
https://www.instagram.com/cheekbonebeauty/
Well-known within the digital world, Cheekbone Beauty is reclaiming Indigenous beauty from western ideals while honouring our teachings on sustainability. Founded in 2016, Cheekbone Beauty offers high quality, cruelty-free make up and is currently making moves to reduce waste in all its packaging, with goals to be fully zero-waste by 2023.
With products named after inspiring Indigenous Women, Cheekbone Beauty has establish itself as a major cosmetics company and has been featured on CBC’s Dragon’s Den. Every purchase supports Indigenous Education and a variety of other important causes, ranging from environmental sustainability to community support.
Smoked Smudge Scents
https://www.instagram.com/sageburning.storytelling/
A little idea that Whitney Alphonse Manuel stirred together bringing to life a candle with the essence of Indigenous medicines and healing properties! Gathered in a good way from our relatives in each direction rippling North to South.
Decolonial Clothing
https://www.instagram.com/decolonialclothing/
And finally, our very own Decolonial Clothing. Everything we do is for Justice for Indigenous.
We are a Nehiyaw-Anishinaabe family from Treaty 6 and Treaty 4 Territories, our business is based out Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Territory.
We wanted to create a clothing brand that empowers the current and next generations to proudly represent their indigeneity, for individuals wanting to decolonize spaces, and to encourage those to support and create Indigenous owned and operated businesses.
We are the resistance and we proudly wear our values on our chest. When you wear our ethically and locally made, urban streetwear brand, you are bringing our message of dismantling colonial oppression into great visibility.
Start a conversation and start a revolution.
Justice for Indigenous, always.
So there you have it! Our 2020 Indigenous Holiday Gift Guide! Please share it with your friends and family so that they can have resources to make informed consumer choices that uplift Indigenous artists and brands this holiday season.
If you make a purchase from the gift guide or send a gift, please tag us! We’d love to play a small part in your holiday celebrations.
From all of us at Decolonial Clothing, thank you for the support we’ve felt this year. We appreciate you all so much and we will continue on together, in solidarity and allyship, until Justice for Indigenous Peoples is achieved all across Turtle Island and around the world!
Dakota Bear, Casey Desjarlais, and the entire team of Decolonial Clothing Co.