Lakeland hosts Indigenous holiday market

An inaugural Indigenous Makers' Market at Lakeland College checked a lot of boxes for organizers and Indigenous and Métis vendors.

The event, held at the Lloyd campus on Dec. 5, was led by Lakeland's Indigenous Student Council and attracted roughly 30 vendors from all parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

"We're doing it to try to raffle off tickets to be able to go to a cultural camp," said Kaphie Flammond, secretary of the council representing Indigenous students from the Lloyd and Vermilion campuses.

The market was also an opportunity for vendors to showcase their culture and get some clientele for their small businesses.

"We really want to support our Indigenous vendors. We want to shop Indigenous this Christmas holiday, so all of our vendors are Indigenous," added Jazman Gartner.

She's the Indigenous navigator for Indigenous Support Services at Lakeland.

"We have a lot of different things. We have beading; we have ribbon skirts. We have tiny moccasins that hang in your window. We have it all this year," said Gartner.

Ribbon skirts for babies to adults are what entrepreneurs and cousins, Samantha Burton and Nicole Pritchard, make for clients at their, It's Sew You business.

"We specialize mostly in children's ribbon skirts. We feel every child should have a ribbon skirt to showcase their culture," said Burton, who is from Red Pheasant First Nation.

She and Pritchard, who hails from James Smith Cree Nation, both see their sewing as a side hustle. Burton is a homemaker with three kids and Pritchard, an education assistant who works with children.

"We come up with ideas, buy the fabric and make them all by hand," explained Burton.

Pritchard notes It's Sew You started when her daughter felt sad she didn't have a ribbon skirt.

"For Christmas two years ago, my cousin taught me to sew and we decided every girl should have a skirt, so we started making children's skirts trying to be as low-cost as we can," said Pritchard.

"We also do regalia as my daughter learned to dance, but basically, we want kids to be in touch with their culture."

In Indigenous culture, a ribbon skirt is representative of Mother Earth and it helps women be closer to Her.

Ethengaye Yu' Chu Asiye is the dene name of Jennifer Larocque's small business she came to promote in Lloydminster.

"It's an Indigenous event and I thought 'wow I haven't been to Lloydminster in a couple of years with my small business' so I may as well set up," Larocque explained.

"My stuff consists of scrunchies, fleece headbands and clothing. I have a few suppliers and a few collaborations."

Larocque is originally from the Fond Du Lac Denesuline First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Saskatchewan. She has turned her business into a family affair from her home base in Warman.

"My niece make some lanyards, my brother makes necklaces and beaded rings and I make the ribbon wear," she explained.

Her goal at the makers' market was to expand her customer base and add people to her Facebook page.

Madison Penner from Lloydminster and Sasha Moise from Muskowekwan N.E. of Regina are the entrepreneurs behind Prairie Princess.

"I do beaded earrings, pin earrings; I do all kinds of different earrings sometime beaded lanyards, but Sasha does more of a traditional style with hers," said Penner.

For Moise, that means working a lot with shells and beads.

"I work on bones and sinew and stuff like that and I make a lot of medallions—colours for fire and snow and Indigenous patterns," she said.

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