Student Native Owned Businesses

Eighth Generation is a Native owned and operated company in Seattle. What I love about Eighth Generation is the opportunity they create for Native artists. The demand for handmade cultural art is here, we just need more people or businesses like them to facilitate the connection between supply and demand. They give Native artists that opportunity to showcase and sell their works of art.

https://eighthgeneration.com/

One of the businesses that I truly feel makes a difference in many Native and non-Native lives is the healthcare clinic Sacred Circle in Salt Lake City. It is the first and only tribe-owned clinic in Utah that’s located outside of a reservation. It’s owned and operated by the Confederate Tribes of the Goshute, and it serves many urban Natives that live off the reservation that may not have typical access to health care.

https://www.sacredcirclehealth.com

Pikuni Drums is a new upcoming business that provides custom powwow and hand drums for contemporary and old-style drum groups. They specialize in authentic handcrafted drums from the Blackfeet Nation. The creator, Zach Lamebear, is a young entrepreneur from the Blackfeet Nation. He is also my cousin and I am very proud to give a shout-out to all of his hard work and dedication of learning the art of drum making.

“I was born and raised on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Montana. I was taught how to make a hand drum in 7th grade and started to powwow sing about 5 years ago, (even though I have been around it all my life), I made my first hand-scraped powwow drum 2 years later with the help of my grandpa. A year after that in 2012, I had a bad deal with another drum maker. The drum that I paid top dollar for had torn and he refused to fix it. I thought that I could make a better drum. I took my challenge and since then taught myself how to make contemporary drum frames and also how to do the hide work. Although I come from a lineage of drum makers, everything I do is self-taught, from skinning the hide off the animal to scraping it and turning it into raw hide, the drum making stopped at my Father and it was up to me to keep it alive!” (Zach Lamebear).

https://www.facebook.com/PIKUNIDRUMS/

Every morning I wake up for work, get ready, and make sure I have my coffee. Coffee is my go-to morning drink providing me with the energy I need to get through the day. My favorite place to stop for coffee in the morning is at a local coffee shop called JC Java Coffeehouse—which is owned and managed by Three Affiliated Tribes Native, Joy Chapin. Joy has created a delightful environment with her coffeehouse. The setting of her shop is peaceful with relaxing music being played over the speakers. It is inspiring as you look around the shop and see various quotes perfectly positioned to set a positive tone for your day.

JC Java Coffeehouse handcrafts their espresso drinks and serves various delicious soups, salads, and paninis. They focus on customer satisfaction and treating people with kindness. If you are looking for a great way to start a brisk morning in New Town, ND, JC Java Coffeehouse on Main Street is it. You will be greeted with a ‘good morning’ at the door and leave with a positive quote placed on every drink cup to start your day right.

http://www.jcjavacoffeehouse.com/

The Red Berry Woman is a Hidatsa, Dakota Sioux, and an Aissiniboine woman who makes ribbon skirts, shirts, dresses, and other Native products—pretty much anything you can add a ribbon to. Her products are so beautiful and creative, she’s even participated in New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion week. I think it’s so inspiring that she’s opening so many doors for Native fashion and making other people appreciate and admire it as well.

https://redberrywoman.com/