All Métis youth are invited to send in photos of their beadwork, to be entered into a draw for bead supplies.
Métis have long been known for our beautiful floral beadwork, so much so that we were known by the Lakota people as “the flower beadwork people.”
For so long, Métis communities in Ontario were hidden and severed from our relatives in the western part of the homeland. Racism and Canada’s colonialist policies historically led to many Métis people not expressing their identity publicly. For the past 40 years, and especially since the foundation of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) our people have been making a comeback. Our culture is making a resurgence and while our beadwork is becoming more visible, it is still too often absent.
Our beadwork is one of the best ways for us to show the world who we are and for us to express our unique Métis Identity.
At the last MNO Annual General Assembly, MNO Youth Council President Mitch Case issued a challenge to Métis Youth to pick up their needles and express themselves. Youth were called on to lead a “beadwork revolution” to “reclaim the art of our people, the art we created and to proclaim to the world that we are proud to be Métis”
A challenge was also issued to other MNO citizens to join the youth in their work and to support the youth artists in their communities.
We invite all Métis youth, from Ontario and across the homeland to send us pictures and stories of their beadwork. We will post their art with the story and artist acknowledgement. Let’s work together to inspire each other to create beautiful things, because we are beautiful people!
As part of our #beadworkrevolution, the MNO Youth Council is holding a contest to encourage Métis Youth to create beautiful things with their beads and to share them with the world. For every photo a Métis Youth sends us of their beadwork, they will be entered into a draw to win a beadwork kit – Multiple entries are encouraged!
Photos will be posted to the MNO Youth Council Facebook and Instagram feeds to encourage and inspire other Métis youth!
The beadwork kit includes 20 colours of size 11 beads, three types of material (black velvet, black melton and brown melton), Pellon backing, needles, thread and a few floral patterns.
Photos should include artist’s name, a description of the beadwork, and the youth’s home community. The draw will be made on June 21st, giving youth lots of time to send many pictures or to start a new project in time!
Direct Message your photos to us on our Facebook page or on our Instagram page (@mnoyc)
Follow us on Facebook: Métis Nation of Ontario Youth Council and Instagram: @MNOYC
Posted: April 5, 2017