Gift Guide: Indigenous Lifestyle Brands You Need to Shop
Supporting Indigenous businesses should happen year-round, especially during Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season
Photos: Mother Earth Essentials/B.Yellowtail/Cheekbone Beauty
Supporting Indigenous businesses should happen year-round, especially during Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season. Rather than purchasing products that might exploit Indigenous communities, it’s essential to shop from brands owned and operated by Indigenous artisans and entrepreneurs, #InspiredNative, not #NativeInspired! And because so many Indigenous-owned shops hail from Latin America, you’ll also be supporting the Latinx community as you do your holiday shopping from brands like Mi Mundo Mexicano and Handmade by Friendship Bridge. Whether you’re looking for jewelry or that perfect cozy sweater, look no further than this gift guide featuring Indigenous brands.
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Mixed Media Earring – Heart Berry
No matter the occasion, a pair of earrings are a must for every Latina! We love this handmade earring set designed and hand-painted in the Ojibwe Floral tradition, featuring a tulip and the brand’s signature Ode’imin strawberry, or “Heart Berry.”
Heart Berry Mixed Media Earring, $38, available at heartberry.com.
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Four Medicines Medallion – Beyond Buckskin Boutique
Made by Ojibwe artist Tashina Lee Emery, these medallion necklaces feature an acrylic pendant with four medicinal herbs sacred to the Ojibwe Peoples: tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar. Just like our abuela’s rosaries or a curandera’s medicine pouch, these help the strength, health, and overall well-being of the wearer. AND you can customize the color of the leather strap, with options for white, smoke, gold, dark brown, and black!
Four Medicines Medallion (Mini), $30, available at shop.beyondbucksin.com.
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Trenza Stackable Rings – T.Skies Co-Op
Don’t think we forgot about rings! This 2-ring set from T.Skies Co-Op is stackable, mixable, and matchable! Made from sterling silver and handmade in New Mexico, this is just one of many products from the co-op that honor and support the Indigenous, Mexican, and Spanish cultures of the local community.
Tejedora: Trenza Stackable Rings, $68, available at tskies.com.
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Yellowtail X Cheekbone Beauty Capsule
If you have a make-up baddie in your life (or want to snag something for yourself, too!), we love this beauty capsule from Cheekbone Beauty as a fun stocking stuffer. Including a gold body shimmer, a liquid lipstick in burgundy, water-resistant mascara, blush/bronzer duo, AND a black eyeliner pencil, every product in the collection is vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and sustainably made.
Yellowtail X Cheekbone Beauty Capsule, $159, available at cheekbonebeauty.com.
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Sweetgrass Self-Care Set – Mother Earth Essentials
For those self-care queens in our lives, there’s no better place to shop than Mother Earth Essentials! The brand was originally founded by Carrie Amstrong with the goal of sharing her traditional Cree medicine teachings. This 4-piece gift set includes an aromatherapy mist, aromatherapy candle, handmade soap bar, and hand and body lotion, all made from the sacred and healing sweetgrass plant.
Sweetgrass Self-Care Set, $75, available at motherearthessentials.ca.
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Iskwêw Boxy Make-Up Bag – She Native
With all these new beauty and self-care products, our loved ones will need a way to store it all! This make-up bag from She Native is made from genuine cinnamon matte leather and handcrafted in Saskatchewan, Canada. It’s non-corrected leather showcasing the natural beauty of leather and the bag itself is meant to represent Indigenous women and their roles as matriarchs in their communities.
Iskwêw Boxy Make-Up Bag, $149.95, available at shenative.com.
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Chamula Laptop Sleeve –
Mi Mundo Mexicano
For more storage, check out this gorgeous laptop sleeve handwoven by Indigenous artisan women in San Juan Chamula Chiapas, Mexico. Taking influence from Mayan designs and color, each bag sustainably sources its wool from local sheep and is made with only natural dyes, no harsh chemicals. It’s a beautiful piece rooted in Indigenous design that serves a modern-day purpose storing your laptop.
Chamula – Wool 14-15” Laptop Sleeve, $56, available at mimundomexicano.org.
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Animal Mug Set – Eighth Generation
This one-of-a-kind gift set includes four ceramic espresso cups, each with an animal representing the region of the artist who designed it. From a bee to a hummingbird, a water lynx to a wolf, these mugs individually honor the culture and stories of the Acoma Pueblo, Nooksack, Ojibwe, and Blackfeet peoples. Plus, if you’re not into coffee, they can also be used as vases or jewelry holders!
Animal Relatives Demi Espresso Mug Set, $40.80, available at eighthgeneration.com.
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Cardigan – B. Yellowtail
This grandpa cardigan created by Bethany Yellowtail of the Northern Cheyenne Nation is just what we need for the winter season! With a stunning original cotton pattern, shawl collar, and faux wood detailing, this is perfect to throw on before snuggling up with a hot drink.
Wolf Mountain Lodge Cardigan, $298, available at byellowtail.com.
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Shawl – Handmade by Friendship Bridge
Based out of Sololá, Guatemala, Handmade by Friendship Bridge offers stunning products like this handmade shawl! Created by local artisan Francisca, these are made on a backstrap loom for that unique and eye-catching design including the colors of the sunrise.
Sunrise Shawl, $82, available at handmadebyfriendshipbridge.org.
