Mea B'Fly July Farewell to Four Designs

In keeping with our mission to bring you the newest and greatest items for the best price, we are making room for new inventory by MaRia Bird (Mea B'Fly) by retiring some of her designs.

Mea B'Fly earrings are a great fusion of the powerful past with the energy of today. Each graphic print is made by Bird, starting with a focal background image that she elaborates with other design elements. She hand-produces each earring by adhering the small art prints to a wood base and topping them off with surgical steel earring hooks and jump rings.

The earrings are bright with vivid color patterns, lightweight for a comfortable wear, and glossy with a slick overcoat to protect the design.

Throughout the month of July, we will be retiring a different design each week on a Sunday night at midnight.

July 7: Sacred - Remixed. The first of four to be retired, these popular earrings feature a remixed design with the image of Comanche leader Quanah Parker as the focal point. The backside is decorated with an organic paisley pattern in warm hues outlined in blue. They are available in medium and large teardrops or oval-shaped earrings. Click here to purchase.

July 14: Ride Hard or Die Tryin'. These earrings feature warriors on horseback on a pink and yellow background with a subtle white four directions star design. Emblazoned with the slogan "Ride Hard or Die Trying," we are reminded to always work hard and fight for the betterment of our communities. The earrings are available in medium or large round earrings. Click here to purchase.

July 21: Traditional Nites. These earrings feature the image of Lakota chief Red Cloud, and they are the perfect accessory for your modern-day traditional nights. Bird explains, "I've always seen this famous image and thought, 'How powerful.' There is a confidence that comes with wearing these earrings - a confidence you see in many women when they are out on the town dressed to impress and/or dancing in the powwow arena. Traditional Nites displays color expression through fashion, whether Traditional or Contemporary. It is a fine line us women love to walk." This design is available in small dangles, medium or large round earrings. Click here to purchase.

July 28: NDN Beatz. Inspired by social round dance songs, powwow mixtapes and carefree summers, these earrings have a fun contemporary feel and feature a stylized boombox rendered in jewel tones and labeled "Powwow Jamz." They are available in small dangles, medium or large round earrings. Click here to purchase.

Click here to shop the full Mea B'Fly collection.

Building (and Funding) a Native-Run Native Arts Publication

Last fall, I was approached by Cherokee artist America Meredith to be a part of an exciting new project to produce an arts magazine. This publication would be unlike any other in that it would be dedicated to covering the Indigenous arts of the Americas from an Indigenous perspective. It would be called First American Art Magazine.

But running a magazine is no easy task. The costs of printing are high, and publishing relevant and quality content requires constant work. But a publication with this mission is necessary.

The core idea - to discuss Native art from a Native perspective - is one that is long overdue for attention and backing. Back in 2004-2008 I was an editor for Red Ink Magazine, an underground art and literature publication based out of Tucson, AZ. Completely student-run, the magazine took on the identity of its editorial board, constantly morphing to reflect the current interests and direction of its volunteer leaders. Our board was one that was packed with individuals interested in art and Native pop culture. Under constant threat of dissolution from our department because of funding, we played with the idea of launching our own grassroots Native arts publication - one that would be fueled by content not by money. But that was back when I was optimistic.

The fact remains that to publish a magazine, funding is necessary. One way that the FAAM editor, America Meredith, has sought to help defray costs without sacrificing content is by launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise a minimum of $4,900 to help defray the estimated $11,000 that it will cost to print the next issue.



Issue 0, the introductory pilot issue, was launched in April 2013 and included the following feature articles: "More Than Just a Trend: Rethinking the 'Native' in Native Fashion" by myself, "Northern Lights: Greenlandic Art in the 21st Century" by America Meredith (Cherokee Nation), and "Something Imperialistic Happened on the Way to the Louvre: Delegation Amérindienne 2012, An Artist's Perspective" by Roy Boney, Jr. (Cherokee Nation).

The issue is available for purchase on Beyond Buckskin as well as the FAAM website, and it also features Exhibit Reviews, Book Reviews, and Artist Profiles on Orlando Dugi (Navajo), Anita Fields (Osage-Muscogee Creek), Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk), and Erin Shaw (Chickasaw–Choctaw).

Issue #1 will launch August 1, 2013. It will include articles about the revival of Southeastern Woodland beadwork; Alaskan and First Nations artists' experiences showing in the southwest; How Not to Write about Native Arts; cultural sensitivity and sacred items; and the Blythe Intaglios. There will be original comics and Native Graphic Design along with artist profiles of Nanibah Chacon, Diné-Xicana painter and muralist; Shan Goshorn, Eastern Band Cherokee photographer and mixed-media artist; Dylan Miner, Métis printmaker and conceptual artist; and Kenneth Williams, Northern Arapaho-Seneca beadwork artist.

The project has more than $4300 pledged, but there is less than 7 days to contribute before the campaign ends on July 3rd. If you think it is important for this type of publication to exist, please consider contributing to the campaign by clicking here.

Beyond Buckskin Baby Contest Winners!

The results are in! We have the winners for the first-ever Beyond Buckskin Baby Contest. Dubbed the "Oh Fer Cyuute" contest - all of the submissions were absolutely adorable and have brought countless smiles to faces throughout the world.

We had 189 submissions, and thousands of votes! Hundreds of comments and hundreds of shares - thank you to everyone who helped make this first contest a great success.

Finding a winner from all the amazing image submissions was no easy task and several of you voted for many contestants (I voted for them all!). Click here to see all the beautiful photos of our little ones (aka, The future leaders!).

The Grand Prize went to Nezbah Sky McReynolds, a tiny tot hailing from the White Mountain and San Carlos Apache tribes and a Navajo descendant. In her picture she work a itty bitty camp dress - traditional Apache attire (click on her photo above to magnify). With chubby cheeks, calm composure, that soft baby hair, cute lil hands, and precious toes, she clocked in 1,687 total votes (that means 1,687 people voted for her - wow!).

Our runner-up was the precious Rosalie Mianskum, a 4-month-old Ojibwe and Cree baby girl. She was pictured sleeping and bundled up in her moss bag and wearing the cutest matching bonnet (I'm a huge sucker for babies in bonnets!). Dozens of people cooed over this sweet picture, and over a thousand people voted for her.

Our third place honorable mention award went to Breeze Osawamick, a 14-month-old Ojibway girl. An undeniably beautiful and special little girl, she was pictured in a traditional buckskin fringed dress and over 800 people voted for this little princess.

I would like to send a special thank you to all the parents and family members who shared their pictures with us and reminded us of the precious beauty in the world. Click here to see all the photos.

Picture of hairstyle

Having the right hairstyle that compliments your features not only makes you look better, but you also have a new found confidence that is transparent to others. There are styles that can compliment anyone depending on their features. Making sure that you look your best can be as easy as knowing which hairstyle works best with your features.

There are many features to consider when choosing the hairstyle that is right for you. For example if you had a low to medium hairline, choosing a haircut with a bang would not be right for you. The same example on the other hand is the opposite for someone with a high hair line, someone with a high hair line would be wise to select a haircut that includes a bang to compliment their feature, unless of course their name is Sade'.

We all have some features that we may want to hide or make stand out, whatever the scenario, there is a style that is exactly right for you. Choosing your hairstyle whether is to showcase your best features or hide embarrassing features such as prominent ears, long nose or short neck can be achieved. The main problem that you may encounter is trying to visualize yourself in a different hairdo. Fortunately there is software that can enable you to upload your picture to view yourself in several different hairstyles.

Once you have uploaded your picture, you will be able to view yourself with different hairstyles such as short layered hairstyles, mid length hairstyles or even shoulder length hairstyles. Choosing a hair do that represents you best will depend on several factors in which the step-by-step software will provide. The tips and resources that the software provides gives you more ideas on what kind of style is best for tall, short, or large features of your face as well as your body. Having the visual picture will also assist you in making the choice that is best for you.

 Making a hairstyle change is decision that you can not put to chance. The repercussion of choosing a hair do that does not compliment your features can be embarrassing. To give yourself a better chance of making the right decision, it is wise to use a hairstyler software that allows you to load your picture and preview your look. It is also important to have the knowledge of what is needed to maintain your new look. If you do not make yourself knowledgeable on your new look, you may find yourself suffering from several future bad hair days.

Beyond Buckskin in Elle Canada

If you told me last year that my name would be mentioned in an issue of Elle Magazine, I would have probably smiled, looked to the right, and thought "That would be amazing."

If you told me this same thing 5 years ago when I was deep in the mix of writing my doctoral dissertation on fashion (and heavily critiquing fashion magazines in the process), I would have thought you had lost your mind. Ten years ago? I would have inquired what you were smoking.

In general, mainstream fashion magazines have historically shown little interest in featuring alternative perspectives on the fashion industry. The bodies represented in fashion magazines are overwhelmingly homogeneous.

If fashion editors include anything 'Indigenous' within their pages, it is presented from a distinct non-Native perspective that is hell-bent on exoticizing those who are the least 'foreign' to this land. Readers are encouraged to "Go Native" with the assumption that you are not Native American (forms of exclusion), and that you can don some feathers and tribal prints to effectively become Native. Meanwhile, the tribal trend party is closed to Native American or First Nations fashion designers or models, and the elitism of the fashion industry is reinforced.

So when I heard that Elle Canada had two articles in their June 2013 issue that discuss cultural appropriation in fashion, I was thrilled. Under their 'Trend' cover stories section, two authors take on misappropriation when it comes to Asian- and Native-inspired fashion.

Kelly Anderson, who grew up on the Six Nations reserve in Ontario recounts a truth that is known by many: when it comes to cultural references in mass media, minorities are all too often ignored, excluded, and/or misrepresented. She calls out No Doubt, Karlie Kloss, Jeremy Scott, Michelle Williams, and Paul Frank. Instead of advertising their products, which we are accustomed to seeing in fashion magazines, Anderson highlights where they went wrong. Through a direct approach, she explains how these indiscretions are part of a bigger problem related to historic and contemporary racism and oppression.

Adrienne Keene and I get a nice shout out for our work in critiquing this 'trend,' but we are only a small part of a larger movement to critique stereotypes and reclaim our right to self-representation.

Pick up your issue of Elle Canada now, or click here to read the article online.

Top 10 | Our First Beyond Buckskin Baby Contest

The first-ever Beyond Buckskin baby contest is in full swing and inching towards the finale - voting ends Sunday, June 23 at 11:59pm CST.

180 adorable babies have been entered into the competition so far, and the top ten are below. There is still time to enter your baby into the contest, or to cast your vote. Vote by accessing the official contest album and clicking 'Like' on a picture that you think should win. And, if you should ever find yourself in a grumpy mood, scroll through all the cuteness to lighten your spirits.

The top two babies are adorable tiny little girls, one representing the southwestern tribes and the other hails from the northern plains.

LEFT: Nezbah Sky McReynolds, White Mountain and San Carlos Apache, Navajo descendant.

23 months (10 months in pic). RIGHT: Rosalie Mianskum, 4 months old, Ojibwa and Cree.

LEFT: Breeze Osawamick, 14 mths, Ojibway, female.

RIGHT: Nixon McGinnis, 2 months old, Hoopa.

Baylee May WhiteCrane, 11 weeks old and a proud member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

 LEFT: Adonis Bodhi Killsplenty Cruz, Male, 5 months old, Hopi/Ohkay Owingeh/Lakota/Ojibwe.

RIGHT: Oliviana Leon Hale, 3 months old, Chippewa/Cree Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara.

Kimeya Winter, Navajo/Ojibwe, Female, 4 Months.

LEFT: Aqtamgiaq tepgunset Augustine, Mi'kmaq Tribe, 2 years old. 

RIGHT: Lawson Ecoffey, Lower Brule Sioux / Oglala Sioux. Birth date June 22, 2011.

Click here to vote now!

Idyllwild Fashion Show | Native Couture in California

I am pleased to announce that I have been working with the great folks at Idyllwild Arts Academy on producing a high end fashion show that will serve as the finale event for their Native American Arts Festival Week.

The week-long festival held in Idyllwild, California, is designed to enhance and add depth to the academy's hands-on arts workshops, and includes performances, a lecture series, art exhibits, and informal discussions with artists, tribal elders and scholars.

In addition, the Festival Week offers a way for those not enrolled in a workshop to participate and learn about vibrant Native arts and cultures.

The theme for this year's event is "Continuum". This theme invites participants to consider current social or creative actions as the contemporary manifestation of an ancient expressive tradition. Instead of looking at arts and cultures through the static lens of “old vs. new," “traditional vs. contemporary” or “lost vs. preserved," the idea of “continuum” offers an alternative view of arts and culture as ever-evolving aspects of human expression. Fashion is a perfect medium to highlight this theme.

I will be giving a presentation on Wednesday, July 3, from 12-1:00pm, as part of the Kabotie Lecture Series. I will be speaking about Native American fashion. My presentation, "More than Just a Trend: Rethinking the 'Native' in Native Fashion," tells a story about historical Native adornment, assimilation policies, contemporary Native fashion designers, and Native appropriations in mainstream fashion.

For the finale event on Friday, July 5, guests will be treated to an evening Fashion Show in the academy's theatre. Opening with the Cahuilla Birdsingers, the show leads into high streetwear designs by Alano Edzerza followed by couture designs by Consuelo Pascual, Pilar Agoyo, David Gaussoin, Bethany Yellowtail, Patricia Michaels and Dorothy Grant, with jewelry by Kristen Dorsey and Wayne Gaussoin and purses by Maya Stewart.

Click here for more information.

Paul Frank x Native Designers

The Paul Frank x Native Designers collaboration has been finally officially announced.

While I am undeniably thrilled about the announcement and all that it represents, the press release failed to mention the various factors that led to this collaboration, which is an incredibly important aspect of this story.

Last September, the lifestyle brand Paul Frank hosted a "powwow"-inspired fashion event that featured some questionable party favors and activities. You can read about it here and here.

After a sizable backlash from people from Native American communities and our allies, the brand removed over a thousand images of the event from their Facebook page, and the president of the company, Elie Dekel, reached out to myself and Adrienne Keene of Native Appropriations. He reached out to the two of us, I think, because we had been the loudest in pointing out the obvious racism behind this event.

While leaders in most major companies are comfortable with being unethical, racist, and sometimes illegal (ahem, Urban Outfitters), a company such as Paul Frank, which boasts kids and their cool progressive parents as their target customers, probably felt a little queasy with that label. In addition, Dekel is a major proponent of philanthropy, and so it began - the gesturing to apologize for this major slip-up.

It began with a phone call and a promise to move forward. Months of phone meetings and to-do lists - no monetary compensation, but a promise to provide a platform. And a platform is like gold for Native people - it's the thing many of us have been continually denied because, as I was informed by a reporter, our stories and accomplishments just aren't interesting to a broad enough audience (but non-Native people being "nice" to Native people, now THAT'S newsworthy). Adrienne and I delivered as willing consultants on this collaboration with feedback and suggestions, lists and info of potential designers, hang tag label info, an article for the Licensing and Merchandising Association newsletter, images and data for a Webinar panel presentation on cultural misappropriation, connections to the host institution for the launch reception, and more. Bridges are built through cooperation, dedication, hard work, and a willingness to understand and work together.

The four designers selected for this collaboration are ideal candidates. Louie Gong (Nooksack) has been in the Native pop art and design scene for years, most notably for his hand-painted Northwest Coast-infused Vans sneakers. Cree/Metis artist Candace Halcro's beaded sunglasses are topnotch with quality and color patterning. The Soft Museum is a collective of artists who hail from Santa Fe and have connections with the Institute of American Indian Arts - they create fun accessories from plastic hama beads and take the concept of adornment to new levels. Dustin Martin, a Navajo artist and Columbia University grad, brings a potent blend of crisp graphics and intelligence that infuse streetwear with intellect. Together they are creating a limited edition collection that fuses their own artistic styles with the Paul Frank brand and includes a tote bag by Gong, sunglasses by Halcro, jewelry by The Soft Museum, and a tee by Martin.

The collaboration has been a learning project for everyone involved. For the folks at Paul Frank, it has been an immersion in Native American education: history, art, sociology, culture, health and wellness. For the designers, the project has involved learning more about merchandising, production, scale, licensing and non-disclosure. For Adrienne and I, it has been about learning how to keep companies accountable and how to remain steadfast and vigilant. Together - as company, artists, and consultants -  we are providing a model for appropriate ways to participate in 'culture'-based trends in the future.

The official reception launch event will be held in Santa Fe, NM on August 16, 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, where representatives from Paul Frank will be present along with the Native designers and Adrienne and I.

Artist Profile | Michael Adams

One of the Beyond Buckskin Boutique's newest artists is Michael Adams. Born on the Hopi reservation and surrounded by culture and art, Adams was inspired to create his own style with jewelry. He looks to his parents for inspiration; his mother is a Hopi/Tewa potter and his father is a Katsina doll carver.

He hand-cuts, shapes, and then paints a unique design on each pair of earrings. He explained, "I love to incorporate color and Hopi symbolism into my designs all referencing nature." Click below to read our interview with him.

BB: When and why did you start creating jewelry?
MA: I started creating jewelry early 2012. I had been inspired and practiced art in drawing, carving, and painting, before I came upon jewelry. Earrings and jewelry in particular have been my canvas and also have given me the chance to accessorize my wife's outfits as she serves as a beautiful model for my work.

BB: Describe the general process you go through to create your work.
MA: The process I go through to prepare my earrings involves cutting out each pair with a scroll saw. I sand each earring and make sure they are a similar size. Then, I paint my designs utilizing my cultural knowledge of Hopi symbolism. As an artist, preserving cultural traditions and knowledge is a value I work to protect. I use my own creativity to combine new mediums with traditional symbols. I finish each earring with a layer of lacquer to protect the paint.

BB: What or who is your inspiration?
MA: My biggest inspirations come from my family, especially the members in my culture who continue to support and make a living off their artwork. My mother, who raised my siblings and I from her work as a pottery artist, serves as a huge inspiration for what I do.

BB: What does 'Native fashion' mean to you?
MA: From my perspective, there is a very narrow representation of what Native Fashion is in the mainstream, therefore I look to use my work and design as a means of teaching and adding to a growing market. The Native designers who have come before me and set the stage for an emerging Native Fashion market are who I respect. I admire artists that offer a fresh perspective on a medium while maintaining connections to their traditions.

BB: What is your favorite quote or life motto?
MA: "The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." – Debbi Fields

BB: What is something that a lot of people don’t know, but should know, about your tribe?
MA: Something that people don't know about my community is the love of running and farming that occurs daily. It is true to always find someone running a dirt trail up the steep mesas or see an individual cutting the weeds under the hot sun in the middle of the summer. We are a people with much appreciation for the life that exists around us.

Click here to shop Michael Adams' collection at the Beyond Beyond Boutique.