Relentless Indigenous Woman

The recording of this webinar from yesterday is available here:

https://www.patreon.com/u71040194/posts/cultural-vs-for-167844335?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

We spend a lot of time talking about what we're taught and far less time asking what we were never given the chance to learn.

Indigenous knowledge isn't an "extra perspective" to add after the fact. Many folx were raised in education systems that treated Indigenous knowledge as optional, historical, or something to be visited for a lesson ...then left behind.

That absence leaves a mark. What teachings never reached you?

The Curiosity Toolkit helps you recognize what's been missing and creating space to learn from Indigenous voices with humility and intention.

🤎 Start your journey here:

https://relentlessindigenouswoman.ca/pages/toolkits

Let's be intellectually honest about history: Hostility and aversion toward 2SLGBTQ+ identities is a colonial imposition…NOT an Indigenous value.

Before colonial systems forcibly imposed cis-heteronormativity and the rigid gender binary as tools of control—most aggressively through the Residential School system—many Indigenous Nations held gender fluidity as natural and vital to communal balance.

Reclaiming these identities is an act of returning to Land-based and Ancestral truth.

Educators, we have a profound responsibility to move past performative calendar days and transactional checkboxes.

Our new Toolkit for K-12 Educators on Two Spirit and IndigiQueer Responsiveness breaks down 10 Myths vs. Facts to arm you with the historical context needed to subvert the "neutrality myth" and defend the psychological safety of your students.

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Get your Toolkit for K-12 Educators on Two Spirit and IndigiQueer Responsiveness at

relentlessindigenouswoman.ca
[or link in bio]

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“How can I tell the difference between appropriation and appreciation in my purchases?”

I LOVE that this is becoming part of public discourse, because there is sooo much confusion around purchasing Indigenous-made items, which impacts many Indigenous small businesses.

I’d like to share with you Indigenous appropriation vs. appreciation in your shopping habits, as this confusion often comes from how we’ve been taught to view culture.

It requires unlearning the colonial paradigm and embracing relational stewardship.

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Here are 5 distinctions to help guide your purchases:

1 // Sacred Stewardship vs. Supporting Livelihood // In the colonial paradigm, people often treat sacred ceremonies and public art as the same— stuff to be taken. Sacred traditions are protected inheritances held in trust by the community within Indigenous knowledge, while the purchase of Indigenous-made art is an act of supporting an individual artisan’s livelihood and sovereignty.

2 // Protocol vs. Patronage // Colonial culture treats all Native-looking items as public domain for anyone to use or imitate. Indigenous sacred knowledge often requires specific protocols, permissions, and lineage, whereas buying a piece of art from a Native person is a transaction of patronage—you are invited into a relationship of mutual support.

3 // Appropriating Identity vs. Investing in Innovation // The colonial mindset often sees borrowing sacred patterns or practices as personal expression. Indigenous ways of knowing recognize the difference between that act of appropriation (which steals the power and meaning from the community) and purchasing goods, which is an act of investing in the living innovation, talent, and economic futures of Indigenous people.

4 // Inheritance vs. Exchange // Sacred traditions are an inherited responsibility that cannot be sold or owned by an outsider. In contrast, the items Native people create and sell are expressions of their personal creativity and business, meant for exchange. Confusion happens when folks fail to see that they can support the Native person (the artist) without needing to take the culture (the sacred practice).

5 // The Take vs. The Trade // The colonial paradigm often confuses consumption with connection. To clarify: Appropriation is taking a sacred element that belongs to the collective, which violates the relationship. Purchasing from a Native artist is a trade that respects the artist's agency to share their work with you, honouring both the creator and their economic independence.

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Followers, tag your favourite Indigenous business company for folks to support

Last week, there was a viral video of an ignorant [settler] woman defending cultural appropriation at her organization.

“Now I’m scared to wear my Native-designed beaded earrings,” was one of her gaslighting responses (as if that’s equivalent to wearing a sacred headdress 🙄)

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Here’s 5 reasons why wearing Native-designed earrings is NOT cultural appropriation:

1. Decolonizing Wealth // Buying directly from Native artists bypasses corporate colonial systems.

2. Funding Resistance // Financial support helps Native creators sustain their families and community-led initiatives.

3. Combating Exploitation // Purchasing authentic work (not Native “inspired” earrings) fights the colonial pattern of stealing and mass-producing Indigenous designs.

4. Affirming Artistic Freedom // Purchasing diverse mediums allows Indigenous artists to reclaim their right to use modern technology and diverse materials to express their Ancestral stories and identities on their own terms

5. Normalizing Indigenous Presence // Wearing these pieces proudly brings Native art and identity into modern spaces. It normalizes it.

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That ignorant woman said that Natives calling out cultural appropriation would make people NOT support Native artists.

Let’s prove her wrong.

Followers, tag your favourite Native earring designer so people can purchase directly from those amazing artists

The health of the classroom canopy depends entirely on the health of the root system beneath. You cannot cultivate a sanctuary for Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ youth if your own foundation is saturated with colonial indoctrination.

Decolonizing your classroom requires you to first decolonize your internal monologue. It demands diagnostic awareness, not remaining complacent in guilt. Move beyond it.

The Two Spirit & IndigiQueer Toolkit for K-12 Educators introduces The Colonial Echo Chart—a tool designed to help educators catch, unpack, and replace systemic q***r biases.

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Get your Toolkit at

relentlessindigenouswoman.ca
or link in bio

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"I've always just loved fashion. It really came from going to powwows."

In this final episode of the spring/summer season, the host, Dr. Candace Manitopyes, connects with Christian Allaire, a senior fashion and style writer at Vogue, to explore his incredible journey from Nipissing First Nation to the fashion capital of the world.

They dive into his work as an author and his pivotal role in bringing Indigenous fashion into the mainstream, tackling the complex reality of representation in an industry that has often missed the mark.

The conversation moves beyond the red carpet as they discuss what true reclamation looks like—treating Indigenous designers as artists first, rather than just objects of temporary interest. Christian shares insights on balancing the intense pressures of the fashion business with the deep, intentional storytelling behind Indigenous design, and why pushing creative boundaries is so vital for future generations.

Listeners also get a fun, unfiltered look at the person behind the byline. From a shared obsession with Britney Spears and the comfort of an Indian taco to the chaotic, stress-filled reality of working behind the scenes at a fashion show, this episode captures an honest convo between two Rez kids who dared to ask, "what if there's more?"

It’s an inspiring, must-listen conversation for anyone who loves fashion, culture, and doesn't give a fck if they're seen as weird for pushing artistic boundaries.

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Ep. 67: From the Rez to the Runway: A Memoir of Fashion and Vogue
with Christian Allaire

Listen wherever you find your podcasts or at

relentlessindigenouswoman.ca