Why did this outfit by a Blackfoot designer lead to controversy… and what does she think about it?

A Blackfoot designer says she was shocked when her latest collection received backlash online over sexualization of Indigenous women and inappropriate use of traditional medicines. 

Melrene Saloy-Eaglespeaker, a member of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) Nation in Alberta, said the collection, which was designed for Santa Fe's Native Fashion Week last month, was inspired by the healing she finds in design and creativity, as well as her respect for traditional medicines.

"I just wanted to bring these two amazing elements together," she said.

Saloy-Eaglespeaker, who grew up in Calgary, said she used sage, cedar and sweetgrass to create the collection. 

The clothes also featured leather, satin and black sheer elements — a fixture of her work. 

"I have always kind of used very out there, very contemporary [ways of] showcasing of the female form in many of my prior collections," she said, adding her work aims to reclaim Indigenous women's sexuality.

Despite previous designs appearing at fashion shows in Milan and Paris, she said she's never experienced criticism like this before, although she knows that using traditional medicines "in a contemporary way can be shocking." 

Still, she said she was surprised that so much of the criticism said the model was sexualized due to the amount of skin that showed and that using sacred medicines in revealing clothing was wrong. Saloy-Eaglespeaker rejects that idea. 

"I would think that a woman's body would be the most sacred space to have these medicines," she said. 

Following Blackfoot teachings

Before beginning her work, she said, she consulted with multiple family members and elders about the idea. 

She, along with other family members, harvested the medicines for the collection using protocols such as leaving tobacco and only taking what was needed. 

When negative reactions to the collection poured out online — commenters also accused her of vanity and behaving like an "unconnected" person — she was hurt. 

Saloy-Eaglespeaker said she believes the fact that she's biracial (her mother, who raised her, is Blackfoot and her father is Creole) and grew up in the city could be a factor in some people's reaction to her work. 

"Like because I am biracial, then I'm not Native enough to be able to use and do things with [medicines]," she said.

Linda EagleSpeaker, Saloy-Eaglespeaker's maternal aunt, said she thought the idea was "amazing," and added that she's proud of all the work Saloy-Eaglespeaker has done in her career. 

"We never hold our children back to be creative, and to express themselves in a good way," said EagleSpeaker, who works as an elder involved with child welfare in Minnesota. 

"They don't know her, they don't know how she was raised, they don't know our family."

She said that Saloy-Eaglespeaker consulted multiple elders and family members before beginning the collection in order to be respectful.

She called criticism of her niece "pitiful" and said concerns over modesty and sexualization do not align with traditional values. 

"We didn't look upon ourselves as being naked from the waist up and we didn't look at ourselves as being sexualized… and we were honoured by our men, our people," EagleSpeaker said of past ways of dressing. 

The collection will not be for sale as Saloy-Eaglespeaker said she was taught that medicines are not to be sold. She said she took other steps to ensure she followed Blackfoot teachings throughout the entire process.

"Prior to [fitting] each model, I made sure none were on their cycles because as Blackfoot women, we cannot smudge or be around medicines," Saloy-Eaglespeaker said.

EagleSpeaker said she advised her niece to stand strong in the face of criticism and not respond to disrespect.

"[Then] you make a circular motion and everything that they've said to you, you take it and you throw it over your back," she said. 

Collection well-received

Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, a member of the Siksika Nation in southern Alberta who now lives in Santa Fe, organized Native Fashion Week where the medicine collection was first displayed. She said, as a Blackfoot woman herself, she never expected it to be controversial. 

"What I see is fear. What I see is uneducated, uninformed, knee jerk reactions," she said.

Bear Robe said she thought the collection touched on the connection between the land and human bodies in a way that she found interesting.

"From a curatorial perspective, I think that the pieces were brilliant," she said, adding the collection was well-received on the runway.

She said she hopes the backlash doesn't lead designers away from taking risks, especially as Indigenous fashion theory is still in its infancy even if other art forms have been around, and appreciated, for decades. 

"I feel like we're going back 50 years when people are knocking Indigenous designers for celebrating women, men and non-binary people's bodies."

Of the 30 designers at fashion week, this was not the collection Bear Robe expected to spark controversy. 

"I thought the one collection that was going to have a reaction was the blatant F--k Trump collection …. Instead it's sweetgrass? Give me a break," she said. 

Having worked in contemporary art for decades, Bear Robe said it's important for artists to be able to push boundaries.

"Materials are used in different ways to explore artistic, creative expression, and that should not be dictated by others," she said.

"It's an internalized racism and a white anthropological view on what Native art should be." 

Bear Robe added she hopes to be able to display the medicine collection again if Saloy-Eaglespeaker is willing. 

In the meantime, the pieces will be displayed at a show in Calgary on June 22.