Sister Bear Designs
Arts and Heritage
Authentic Anishinaabe Traditional and Contemporary Creations
Abiimadgamowin, Keeping Our Ways Alive.
Sister Bear Designs began as a healing journey for 3 sisters (Valerie, Kathleen and Malinda), to honour their family and community’s knowledge, strength, resilience and determination to carry on traditional Anishinaabe teachings through creating.
The 3 Sister Bears (Valerie, Kathleen and Malinda) learned how to create and to coax a pattern out of beads from our Grandparents, Aunties and other family members. While officially owned and operated by Kathleen, the Sister Bear Designs Adaawewigamig (Shop) now includes 4 generations of artists and offers pieces created from a variety of mediums including unique beaded jewelry/accessories, traditionally tanned hides, one of a kind porcupine quill and birch bark pieces and beautifully sewn traditional and contemporary clothing. We also offer workshops and experiential learning opportunities by providing sessions that share our gifts/teachings. We are an Anishinaabe family and members of Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation with family connection to Fort William First Nation.
Each piece we bead, sew, or create honours our connection to the land, the water, the winged, the two legged, the four legged and all of creation. Sister Bear Designs Adaawewigamig is Abiimadgamowin – our life’s journey, our stories and our hopes for future generations. We are so grateful for the opportunity to honour our ancestors teachings through each piece we create. Miigwetch for becoming part of our story and helping us keep our ways alive as we continue to teach and share with future generations.
At Sister Bear Designs adaawewigamig (shop) you will find many one of a kind pieces and opportunity to experience a part of Sister Bears family history with seeing photos and hearing our stories. All of Sister Bear Designs creations are made with supplies from Indigenous businesses (beads....right down to our packaging). Sister Bear Designs also offers workshops and experiential learning opportunities on our reserve located in Northwestern Ontario (workshops and experiential learning include: tradition hide tanning, beading workshops, birch bark harvesting and biting, and many more). It is truly a unique and unforgettable experience.
Sister Bear Designs began as a healing journey for 3 sisters (Valerie, Kathleen and Malinda), to honour their family and community’s knowledge, strength, resilience and determination to carry on traditional Anishinaabe teachings through creating.
The 3 Sister Bears (Valerie, Kathleen and Malinda) learned how to create and to coax a pattern out of beads from our Grandparents, Aunties and other family members. While officially owned and operated by Kathleen, the Sister Bear Designs Adaawewigamig (Shop) now includes 4 generations of artists and offers pieces created from a variety of mediums including unique beaded jewelry/accessories, traditionally tanned hides, one of a kind porcupine quill and birch bark pieces and beautifully sewn traditional and contemporary clothing. We also offer workshops and experiential learning opportunities by providing sessions that share our gifts/teachings. We are an Anishinaabe family and members of Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation with family connection to Fort William First Nation.
Each piece we bead, sew, or create honours our connection to the land, the water, the winged, the two legged, the four legged and all of creation. Sister Bear Designs Adaawewigamig is Abiimadgamowin – our life’s journey, our stories and our hopes for future generations. We are so grateful for the opportunity to honour our ancestors teachings through each piece we create. Miigwetch for becoming part of our story and helping us keep our ways alive as we continue to teach and share with future generations.
At Sister Bear Designs adaawewigamig (shop) you will find many one of a kind pieces and opportunity to experience a part of Sister Bears family history with seeing photos and hearing our stories. All of Sister Bear Designs creations are made with supplies from Indigenous businesses (beads....right down to our packaging). Sister Bear Designs also offers workshops and experiential learning opportunities on our reserve located in Northwestern Ontario (workshops and experiential learning include: tradition hide tanning, beading workshops, birch bark harvesting and biting, and many more). It is truly a unique and unforgettable experience.
