Theme: Red River

A reoccurring theme in my beadwork practice is my home territory.

I first beaded The Forks of the Red and Assiniboine River, an iconic shape recognizable to most anyone from Manitoba, during the #BeadSoupChallenge of January 2020.

The rivers were subsequently integrated into the Law With Heart Honour Shawl, and later reappeared at the request of a graduating Learner in 2021.

As Dr. Leanne Simpson reminds us, Indigenous folks often feel a deep connection to our homelands, even when we are away from them. Sometimes this connection, and her close companion of homesickness, manifests in beads.