Indigenous Box has made it through 4 seasons of boxes! It’s hard to believe that we’ve gone from packing a few boxes in a little basement bedroom to packing thousands of boxes in our dedicated production facility. Believe me, there's a story there, and I promise we are going to share it soon. In fact we have some huge secrets that we can’t wait to share with you. It’s literally all we can do to contain ourselves!
2021 has been a wild ride over here at Indigenous Box. When we started back in March, we were a tiny micro-business doing what we could to promote Indigenous Business with what little means we had. Once we launched our first box, we found out that Canada was hungry to discover Indigenous Business. And A LOT of people loved when we offered to help them do it!
Where I’m from, in Treaty 6 territory, Ukrainian floral scarves have become iconic among many Indigenous Nations. These days, you’ll even see these scarves integrated into pow wow regalia. Us nehiyawak (Cree people) call them “kokum scarves” because kokum means “your grandmother”, a reminder of our grandmothers and a symbol that we carry them with us, when we need them the most.
How many of you have thought about supporting Indigenous artists, buying something beaded for example, but stopped yourself because you were worried that wearing them could be cultural appropriation? I think there is a lot to be said about cultural appropriation but I will share my thoughts on this. Not everyone will agree with me and although I am nehiyaw iskwew (cree woman), it does not make me an expert on this stuff.
Did you know that my people were the original supply chain network of this continent? The Indigenous peoples of this continent were responsible for the operation of a vast trading network that spanned turtle island. I’m not talking about just furs though! My people, the Cree people, traded knives, obsidian, metal, fabric, fresh meat, European wares and more. I once read a story about the “Iron Confederacy”, the story of a trade alliance between the Metis and Saulteaux people who sourced and traded much more than furs. This trade alliance was key to the survival of these nations. So trade has always been a part of our way of life and an integral part of our story on the prairies.
Indigenous Box™ drives Economic Reconciliation by creating opportunities for emerging, under-represented and established Indigenous businesses to reach new customers and enter new market spaces.
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