Indigenous pop-up shop showcases creations from across the province

Shayna Boudreau started her business, Skoden Hair Ties, in January.

Like many entrepreneurs, she has had to navigate obstacles to find success during the pandemic. 

Women in Business New Brunswick hosted an Indigenous pop-up shop in Fredericton on Saturday to support female entrepreneurs.

Twenty vendors were at the Fredericton Inn to sell creations from beaded portraits to ribbon skirts and handmade hair ties.

Boudreau, one of the participants Saturday, wanted to create hair ties that would not damage hair and be suitable for all textures.

"I made hair ties because for us Indigenous people, our hair is so important, like the length of it. When we braid it, or when our grandmothers braid, we're putting prayers into it," said Boudreau.

"With certain fabric it's healthier for your hair, better than normal cottons because some cottons can ruin your hair and give you split ends. And I just feel like protecting our hair is very sacred, especially when it grounds us to Mother Earth." 

When Boudreau launched her business, she said she spoke to multiple people from her community of Kingsclear First Nation who said it was inspiring. 

"I just feel like having something that's yours, local, it gives me motivation." said Boudreau.

"When I first launched Skoden, I announced it on Facebook to all my friends, and all of the youth in my community were like, 'Oh, my God, like, I look up to you. You make me feel so empowered.'... And that's what I want to encourage, if they have a dream, they should go and get it." 

Ramona Bird moved to New Brunswick from Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. She was selling handmade ribbon skirts and clothing with floral designs specific to the First Nation.

"A lot of the different styles are different types of plants that we would use in different medicines." said Bird.

This was also Bird's first time at a pop-up shop as she had sold her clothing online before coming to the event. 

"I find It's an opportunity to share some of the different types of creations that we have," Bird said.

Ashley Sanipass specializes in beaded portraits of elders in various communities like her own in Indian Island, but also Elsipogtog First Nation. She interviewed Patrick Augustine, Donna Augustine, Andrea Simon and her father, Christopher Sanipass.

She took six months to hand-bead portraits of these elders as part of a project called Beaded Medicines and Teachers. For this project, Sanipass interviewed each elder about the four sacred medicines: sweetgrass, tobacco, sage and cedar. 

"I had these pieces and, because of COVID, I haven't been able to showcase them, so this is my first time showcasing them to the public and I'm honoured that I was able to do it at an Aboriginal women's event." said Sanipass.

"One of the things that went through my head was how important these people are, how important our elders are and the knowledge that they share because when they pass, that's a whole lineage of information and knowledge that goes with them." 

For organizer Natasha Martin-Mitchell, seeing the pop-up shop come to fruition has been deeply satisfying. 

Martin-Mitchell has heard from vendors who have struggled to sell their products during the pandemic. 

"When I first took on this role two years ago, it was at the beginning of the pandemic and, of course, I had a work plan in place and with the pandemic that had to change.

"I'm doing my job by promoting and lifting Indigenous women entrepreneurs here in the [East Coast] and I think that in my role, I'm just a rising tide that lifts all ships."

Plans are in place to have another pop-up in Moncton in the near future.