Community News

Etsy Highlighted Indigenous Artisans This Indigenous Peoples Day

Extraordinary Handcrafted Designs From the Indigenous Artisans Collective

October 10, 2022 | by Stephanie Moise | etsy.com

Mary & Samantha Jacobs are featured in Etsy’s all-new Indigenous Artisans Collective, launched Friday, October 10th, 2022 in honor of Indigenous People’s Day.

A few paragraph’s from the article:

Indeed, the introduction of the Indigenous Artisans Collective on Etsy is an opportunity for us all to appreciate the diverse cultures and craftsmanship of Indigenous peoples across North America. Cherokee or Seneca, Navajo or Cree; each group’s history is distinct, but for many of the makers participating in the collective, the end goal is the same: to ensure voices from their communities are heard and seen. “When people wear my products, whether they are Native or not, I hope it’s a reminder that we are still here, that our voices matter, and that they will stand with us as allies,” explains jeweler Tayler Gutierrez, an affiliate of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and owner of shop Kamama Beadwork.

From vibrantly tufted ornaments to woven hats accented with delicate glass seed beads, each seller’s handmade, heirloom-quality pieces are part of a longstanding tradition of craft that continues to hold significant cultural value—as well as economic opportunity—within their communities. Beadwork in particular is a shared skill among many makers, as the art form provides a tangible connection to personal heritage and an outlet for self expression.

For Mary Jacobs, an affiliate of the Seneca Nation of Indians and the owner of Mary Jacobs Designs, the connection between craft and identity also runs deep. “I bead to keep my culture alive,” she says. Mary grew up surrounded by beading, and passed the skill on to her daughter, Samantha, who now runs her own shop, Samantha Jacobs Art, as part of Etsy’s Indigenous Artisans Collective. Together, the mother-daughter duo also instruct a weekly beading class in their local heritage center. “I insist that anyone who takes it then teaches someone else so that art keeps thriving,” Samantha adds.

This sense of responsibility toward supporting the community is also part of the ethos of the program itself, for which we tapped several Indigenous Mentors—established entrepreneurs who already run Etsy shops—to help guide and advise makers in the Collective who are new to Etsy.

Seneca Nation affiliate Samantha also takes inspiration from her surroundings. “I like to make items that tell a story and things that reflect the nature around me. Sometimes that means I bead a pretty flower I see every day outside my window, other times I tuft sea coral I’ve seen on vacation.”

This deep appreciation for nature underscores much of the work from the collective, not only via the motifs and materials used in items themselves, but in the way the makers approach the creative process. “When I make something, I take note that all of my materials came from somewhere, and I am just acting as a conduit to piece them together into something new,” Tayler explains. “In Cherokee, there is no word for artist. So while the western world sees me as an artist, I’m really just someone who brings things together in a different way.”

Read the full article here: https://www.etsy.com/blog/uplift-makers-indigenous-artisans-collective?ref=finds_e