In the beginning

As I go live on my website for the first time, I am reflecting on so many things. Firstly, how far communication has come: from spoken words, to ideas chiselled on walls and marked on early forms of paper, to the printing press, to telephones, all the way through to a person sitting typing into a little metal and plastic piece of equipment knowing that their words will be read around the world if someone chooses to click with a mouse or touch with a finger on a cellphone! When the first decorative pieces of art and jewellery and clothing were made by early humans, we can only imagine what was going through the minds of these creative early artisans. 

Over 140,000 years ago, in the early middle Stone Age, somebody poked tiny holes in shells and strung them on cord. Early Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals made and wore jewellery and decorative pieces of art on their bodies. It truly boggles my mind that this tradition has been passed down for over 5500 generations.

And when I sit and bead, particularly when I am with other artisans, I can feel the pleasant weight of my ancestors in the same motions of my hands as they had. Jewellery and bead work belongs to every human - every ethnicity and every culture. For me, my Indigenous family and ancestors have passed down many of the skills that I employ today. So for me, beadwork and jewellery-making is an integral part of my culture.

As I “go live“ with this website that so many people have asked me when I’m going to create, I feel such joy that people will be able to see some of the colours and patterns and shapes that have come to mean so much to indigenous people all around the world, but certainly in North America and specifically for me, here in Canada.