The Manitobah Artist Series is a collection of rare, limited-edition pieces of wearable art created in collaboration with Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island. Each artist brings their own history, connection to the land, and visual storytelling to their design, and Manitobah helps bring their vision to life through footwear.
Arianna Lauren Hunter
Cowichan, Coast Salish
Arianna Lauren is a Coast Salish artist from the Cowichan Tribes, from the villages of Xhenipsen and Samuna. Raised in her home territory in British Columbia, Canada, she now resides in Southern Tiwa territory in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a hand-poked tattoo practitioner and plant medicine keeper, she draws inspiration from her ancestral homelands, weaving together traditional designs with contemporary aesthetics. Arianna's tattooing celebrates the connection between the natural world, the cosmos, and her teachings. Her portfolio is a powerful expression of Quw'utsun' identity and a testament to the enduring strength of her people. This commitment to preserving tradition is further exemplified by her role as the founder of Quw'utsun' Made and co-founder of O Siiem Tatu, where she actively supports and empowers other Indigenous artists.
Ocean Kiana Tamarack
Ojibway, Anishinaabe
Ocean Kiana (Waabski Memegwans – White Butterfly) is an Anishinaabe fashion designer from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Pic Mobert First Nations. Rooted in her Ojibway heritage, Ocean blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary fashion, creating pieces that honor Indigenous identity and storytelling. As the founder of Ocean Kiana, she specializes in appliqué skirts, ribbon pants, and modern Indigenous apparel that empower women to embrace their femininity with pride. Ocean's designs reflect a deep connection to Anishinaabe beadwork, floral designs, and traditional teachings. Each creation is a tribute to the resilience and beauty of her culture, ensuring that every piece carries a story of tradition and elegance.
Jamie Okuma Modern Moc Chukka
Luiseno, Shoshone-Bannock, Wailaki, Okinawan
Jamie Okuma is a Luiseno, Shoshone-Bannock, Wailaki, and Okinawan artist and enrolled member of the La Jolla Band of Indians in Southern California, where she lives and works. A lifelong artist, she creates one-of-a-kind, hand-executed pieces while also designing ready-to-wear fashion. Okuma began her studies in graphic design at Palomar College before attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. By 18, she was already exhibiting professionally and has since earned seven Best in Show awards at the Heard and Santa Fe Indian Markets—one of only two artists to do so. Her work has shown internationally and is held in major museum collections including the Met, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and the Denver Art Museum. In 2023, she made history as the first Native American inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), marking a new chapter in her influential career.
Kaija Heitland Modern Moccasin
Métis, Scandinavian
"My name is Kaija Heitland, and I am a woman of Métis and Scandinavian ancestry living on the traditional lands of the Cowichan tribes on Vancouver Island, where I belong to the Cowichan Valley Métis Community and fish, gather, learn and teach. The beadwork and designs I create are inspired by all of the peoples that I come from, using the language of Métis beadwork and the vocabulary of my Northern European and Scandinavian family to tell our story.
In my work I focus on negating lateral violence through land-based practices, fine arts and shared Indigenous culture, encouraging self-reclamation and research into the diverse threads and kinship ties of the Métis community we belong to. I find beauty in teaching our traditional fiddle music that has evolved as a unique soundtrack to the development of our people and culture, and fulfillment in the cultural work I am able to do in my community."
Lauren Good Day Modern Moc Chukka
Arikara, Hidatsa, Blackfeet & Plains Cree
Lauren Good Day is a multi-award-winning Arikara, Hidatsa, Blackfeet, and Plains Cree artist and fashion designer. An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes and a registered Treaty Indian with Sweet Grass Cree First Nation, she has showcased her work at top Native American art shows, including Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum Market. Her art is featured in major collections like the National Museum of the American Indian and the Heard Museum and has been highlighted in Vogue, InStyle, and The New York Times.
Dedicated to revitalizing her people's arts, Lauren blends traditional techniques with modern design. She has created Native American art since childhood, mastering beadwork, quillwork, ledger drawings, and fashion. Holding a BA in Indigenous Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, NM, she continues to uphold cultural traditions while inspiring future generations.
Rosa Scribe Kokom's Tamarack
Cree
Rosa Scribe was born in the Cree community of Norway House, Manitoba. Rosa is a very soft-spoken and inspirational artist with a quiet strength about her. She speaks volumes through her beautiful and colourful work. Having learned the art of mukluk and moccasin making from her Kokum (grandmother), she has spent the last 25 years perfecting her art. As a teacher a the University College of the North, Rosa works hard hard to ensure that this traditional art form is passed on to future generations and never forgotten.
Atheana Picha Tamarack
Salish, Kwantlen First Nation
Atheana Picha is a Coast Salish artist from the Kwantlen First Nation, and her grandmother was from Tsartlip. Atheana was given the name Nash’mene’ta’naht by Gerry Oleman from the St’at’imc First Nation, which translates to "Go-getter Woman". Born in Vancouver in 1999, she grew up and works out of Richmond, BC. She is an interdisciplinary artist, working mostly in 2-dimentional media. Atheana has been doing two apprenticeships learning Salish wool weaving with Musqueam weaver Debra Sparrow since 2019, and learning silver engraving, wood carving, and tool making with Squamish artist and educator Aaron Nelson-Moody since 2018. She has been focused on centring Coast Salish way of life through learning teachings from her elders as often as possible. Atheana's practice is grounded in learning more about Salish design through studying the old pieces, observing nature, and learning from her elders and teachers.
Melissa Peter-Paul Tamarack
Mi'kmaw, Abegweit First Nation
Melissa, a Mi'kmaw woman from Abegweit First Nation, located on Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island, Canada); grew up immersed in cultural teachings and surrounded by a family of basket makers. From a young age, she expressed her artistry through regalia and beadwork, later delving into quillwork, a traditional skill of her maternal grandfather’s ancestors. Accepted into a Mi'kmaq Quill Art apprenticeship in 2015, Melissa mastered traditional insertion techniques and studied cultural teachings and historic publications. Quillwork involves inserting porcupine quills into birchbark, edged with quills, sweetgrass, or spruce root. Through her apprenticeship, Melissa learned harvesting protocols and traditional design geometry, later contributing to the establishment of a community of skilled quill workers. She debuted as a professional Mi'kmaq quill artist in 2019, and her work has been exhibited in galleries across Canada and the United States. She continues to harvest with her family and to train young artists in her community.
Bruderer Tamarack
Cree
Pat Bruderer, Half Moon Woman, represents the preservation of a very special type of Indigenous art. The art form is called Birch Bark Biting and Pat is one of the few knowledge keepers and expert practitioners of this ancient Indigenous art. She was born and raised in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada and is of Cree ancestry. She is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation who are Assin'skowitiniwak or Rocky Cree. She is the mother of five children, is a proud Kookum to her grandchildren and currently resides in British Columbia, Canada. Half Moon Woman has always been an active community member, teaching art, volunteering, and creating programs to assist Indigenous communities in Canada.
Holler Gatherer
Anishinaabe, Dutch, Scandinavian
Madison R. Holler is the artist, owner and designer of Rubinski Works, operating on Anishinaabewaki land in Central Minnesota. She specializes in beadwork and one-of-a-kind jewelry. Primarily, works are created with glass and metal seed beads on thread; she practices metal smithing techniques to construct abstract precious metal components for her wearables. Madison's work explores the bridge between traditional craft and modern jewelry making practices. Her collections provide commentary on traditions of her shared Anishinaabe, Dutch and Scandinavian heritage, with an emphasis on folklore. Madison has a vocational background in photography and graphic design as well as experience in fine art practices such as ceramics, printmaking, painting and illustration.
Vanderhoop Tamarack
Haida, Aquinnah Wampanoag
Tiffany Vanderhoop's Haida name is S'idluujaa, meaning Huckleberry Woman. Residing in Aquinnah, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard, her mother is Haida of Gaw Git'ans Masset inlet Eagle Clan, from Old Massett, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, and her father is Aquinnah Wampanoag from Aquinnah, Massachusetts. Today, Tiffany lives and creates art on the same land where her ancestors have lived since time immemorial.