With years of practice, it takes Melvina Brave Rock about one day to make a small pair of moccasins.
She learned her craft from her 95-year-old mother who has taught five generations of women in their family, including Melvina’s daughter Vanessa.
“All the way down to our two-year-old, we all participate in different areas,” said Vanessa. “And we all learn everything that you see. We all learned right from scratch how to do everything.”
The all-female family gathers mint leaves and berries to make tea and beads. Roadkill is used to create a dancing marionette called Napi.
According to Melvina, Blackfoot legends say that Napi is Santa Clause
“He’s a trickster of anything, so he can be anything, so he’s Santa Clause,” Melvina said.
It takes Melvina three days to make Napi.
“As a woman, a native woman, this is very important to showcase our work. We feel fortunate to be able to show people what we do in our spare time,” she said.
According to Kristen Krein, the organizer of the Indigenous Makers Market, until last year there were no opportunities for Indigenous creatives in southern Alberta to sell or showcase their products. However, they’ve quickly become popular events with multiple markets now taking place at different locations.
“It’s nice to be able to have a space to have Indigenous art from Indigenous makers so you know who you’re supporting,” Krein said. “You know this is something that is authentic and you know you’re supporting an actual individual.”
“Any venue that we can set up, I would look forward to showcasing our work and hopefully teach some people about our culture,” Melvina said.