Recently we added the phrase Indigenous Joy, Here and Now to our marketing materials and you may be wondering what is behind that change.
As an indigenous owned, indigenous made business we take indigenous representation very seriously. One of the most glaring misrepresentations of indigenous people today is that our existence is relegated to an idealized and romanticized past. Another is that where we do continue to resist our attempted extermination, our current existence is marked only by trauma and struggle. While the trauma of having survived multiple genocides may be real and ongoing, it does not define who we are currently.
I hope it is understood that I do not speak for all indigenous people or peoples but I know that I am not alone in the desire to amplify indigenous joy in all its forms. For me personally that joy includes participating in language classes to learn the language of my maternal grandparents, Nehiyawewin, participating in ceremonies and feasts, visiting my ancestral homelands of the prairies and just spending time with my indigenous friends and relatives.
Across this continent that we know as Turtle Island, which includes the lands now known as Canada, The United States and Mexico, indigenous people are thriving, indigenous languages and traditions are being maintained and re-vitalized and indigenous futures are being imagined and created by incredibly diverse and creative groups of people. We at LUZ Collection are proud to be amongst them by doing our part to illuminate and continue the tradition of trade amongst the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
