Creation. Beauty. Repair. The gift of all women. Still, it seems like Native women have a gift for these arts in slightly greater supply than others—historically utilizing very slim resources to make absolutely gorgeous and functional stuff for their families. These women have always been powerful within our communities, literally creating one of the most important tools—shoes!—that allowed the hunters to hunt and the warriors to protect. It seemed like such an underappreciated job, but the entire community depended upon these powerful women. Interdependent.

The backbone.

WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS? Because I think it’s always important to support those who link our rich history to our modern-day lifestyle. Also, as you may be able to tell by my story, I’m sorta predisposed to have a thing for women who create clothes. I instantly start getting stars in my eyes and flash back to my wonderful grandmothers. “I bet she can make beautiful baby clothes.”

Therefore, when I met this bad sister, Bethany Yellowtail, I was intrigued. She carried that ancestral knowledge that compelled and allowed her to make beautiful creations, just like thousands of years of grandmas for Native people—gear that was functional yet gorgeous. Yet, she was very young. That interested me—where did this very young Northern Cheyenne and Crow woman get the inspiration to carry on this very traditional craft and expertise in a completely modern context and in very modern styles?