About

Meet the Designer

My name is Destiny Warashen:tha Thomas. I am a turtle clan, Mohawk woman from Akwesasne, ON.

Akwesasne is a Mohawk territory that has the American and Canadian border dividing it into Quebec, Ontario, and Upstate New York.

I came to Montréal, QC to begin my studies in art education with Concordia University in 2016. During my first year, I became very homesick and would visit Akwesasne often. As a way to keep myself in the city, I started beading to curve the feeling of being away from home. In my third or fourth year, I sold at my first market during Concordia's First People's week. And I never looked back.

I first learned how to bead by watching my Ista (mother) bead a hair brooch. She saw how fascinated I was watching her weave her needle and thread through her shiny red bugle beads. She told me to pick up a needle, choose some colors and follow her lead. From there, I learned other basic beading techniques making bracelets and necklaces. At some point, I settled on earrings. They're a simple accessory that tells so much about a person. Their culture, their favorite colors, and how bold they enjoy being with their style. My dream was to have my beadwork be showcased in the same fashion magazines that I was reading. 

During my studies, I immersed myself into beadwork. Using the medium as a way to occupy space in the classroom for..myself really. I noticed that a couple students didn't even know that Indigenous peoples still existed. This blew my mind and I made the effort to create pieces to discuss Indigenous stories using drawings in ink. I made a beaded belt to showcase the timeline process of healing trauma. I used sculptures to Indigenize the classic child's toy of a twirling ballerina in a music box to discuss the adoption of different dances like the jingle dress danced at pow-wows. I used painting to discuss the Mohawk creation story. All of this is to say that I have spent many hours in the Visual Arts building at Concordia.

With all of my efforts being put into becoming a more well-rounded artist. I thought that it was time to question how one makes a career out of becoming one. So, using my elective courses, I began enrolling in business classes. I wanted to learn how to brand, market, and advertise my craft. And that's what I'm doing today. I never knew that beading could bring me to where I am now. I am excited to see where it will take me in the future. I'm glad to have you here with me on this marvelous journey of becoming an Indigenous entrepreneur!

Niawen

Thank you

PST Art x The Autry: Fashioning Indigenous Futurism

This is a rough draft, please disregard the lack of information (I'm late to class ok)

Getty Image, click HERE
Event Information, click HERE

Button label