I recently read that natural habitats grow and thrive more when under Indigenous stewardship. This seems like such an obvious statement after writing it, but if it’s so obvious, why aren’t indigenous voices a bigger part of the conversation around sustainability?
For this month’s amplification of BIPOC voices, I’ve chosen three indigenous owned and operated businesses that I’ve recently discovered.
I am SO excited to receive my very first Cheekbone Beauty product. It’s a liquid lipstick in a nude rose shade and is called Melina, in honour of Melina Laboucan-Massimo. She is Cree, a Fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation, the Program Director at Indigenous Climate Action, and host to a new TV series called Power to the People (which explores renewable energy, food security and eco-housing projects in Canadian Indigenous communities.)
Cheekbone has a capsule of liquid lipsticks called Warrior Women, aptly named after incredible Indigenous women who have made an impact in their communities and beyond.
Cheekbone Beauty is Indigenous owned and founded, makes all of their product in Canada, and donates funds to education in Indigenous communities who are so underserved in my country. They have also created a small capsule of “sustain” lipsticks and hope to be zero waste by 2023. Their products are vegan and cruelty free.
I discovered RezzyCrow on Instagram, and indeed, this is the only place you can buy Sarah Rose Manidokaa’s stunning creations. Sarah is Ojibwe and creates the most beautiful earrings and adornments made of fine intricate beadwork and punchy colours. I prefer a more minimalist aesthetic so don’t own any, but I follow along and ogle these beautiful pieces because they are artwork in themselves. You can find Sarah at @rezzycrow.
(skwall – win)
I just discovered Sḵwálwen and made my first purchase – the berry cleansing clay which can be used as a daily cleanser or weekly face mask. I’m already trying a new line of natural skincare so I thought this would be a nice compliment to that new regimen. I will keep you posted after use!
More on this incredible company though: Sḵwálwen is an Indigenous owned and operated company that creates small batch botanical skincare products. The owner is Squamish, and honours her traditional Squamish roots by incorporating her knowledge of plants and harvesting in a sustainable and respectful way.
This business really made me think of the following quote which I found and shared on my IG stories a while back:
“A species and a culture that treat the natural world with respect and reciprocity will surely pass on genes ensuring generations with a higher frequency than the people who destroy it. The stories we choose to shape our behaviour have adaptive consequences.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer – Braiding Sweetgrass
With that thoughtful quote, I’ll leave you here. Thank you as always for reading, xx
