For years at Centennial College, students from The Business School have been putting on The Shop, a student-run pop-up that sells Indigenous art, food, and more, taking place this week at Progress Campus. You can read about what goes into the creation of The Shop here, but today, we’re focusing on one of the vendors sourced by our students. Jessica McKenzie is the owner of FutureKokum, a venue for selling her handmade Indigenous beadwork, some of which is on sale at The Shop. And on top of that, Jessica is also the first ever Miss Indigenous Canada, an award highlighting the Indigenous leaders of tomorrow. Jessica uses her position to advance Indigenous community, and culture, even mentoring Indigenous youth. While she visited The Shop on Monday, we talked to her about beads, being an award winner, and what it means to reconnect with her culture.
Bringing the Beads
"FutureKokum actually translates to Future Grandmother," Jessica says about her company, "and that is my hope: To pass on traditions to future generations. So, a portion of my proceeds actually goes back to Indigenous charities from across the country."
"When it comes to connections across the Indigenous communities, it feels like we're all family, like we're all cousins," Jessica says about joining up with Centennial College. "So, I had someone from my network reach out. Jarret Leaman is professor here, and he does know some of the work that I do in the community, especially around beadwork, and really revitalizing our culture through beadwork." This connection would first lead to her doing a beading demonstration at Centennial’s Indigenous Fashion Symposium, followed by selling her beadwork at The Shop last year, and again this week.
"What's really important is that I do my beadwork with a clear mind and good intentions," she says about her process. "Every single time I pick up the bead, sew in the bead, I definitely put in some of my good thoughts. So, if I gift you this beadwork, or the beadwork gets gifted to you, you know you're also getting that good energy, too."
"This here is an Orange Shirt pin," she says, picking up a piece of her beadwork, available at The Shop. "This orange pin represents Orange Shirt Day, which is all about truth and reconciliation. What's really special about this is that a portion of proceeds go back to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society".
Becoming Miss Indigenous Canada
Becoming Miss Indigenous Canada is the culmination of a journey Jessica took to reconnect with her identity as an Indigenous woman.
"I started reconnecting about a decade ago," she explains. "I really wanted to understand deeper about my identity as a mixed Indigenous woman. My dad, his mother and father are both Cree, and my mother is Indonesian. And growing up, it was mainly that Indonesian culture. I was like, something's missing, right? So, if that's something that happened with me. Other people may have the same type of journey. So, I teach beading workshops to indigenous youth, even all the way up to the elders as well, and I find that they're also connecting, which has been really beautiful."
"If I could get a little vulnerable for a second, you know, through COVID, I felt like I really lost myself," Jessica says. "I became so isolated, such a hermit. It really did affect my self-esteem, and I found that even coming out to social situations was really difficult for me."
"So, when they posted Miss indigenous Canada, I was like, you know what, I think it's time for me to get out of my shell," she continues. "I think it's time for me to learn how to love myself again. So, I applied, and when I got in, I had a panic attack, but it was okay, because it was still exciting. And when I won, again, another panic attack, but it's okay, because once I started saying yes to these opportunities, really great things started to happen." She’d set out to use her new position to promote Indigenous culture, and support the community.
"I am the very first Miss Indigenous Canada, which is kind of scary," she admits. "It's a little bit nerve-wracking, but when it comes to some of my passions, it's really all about Indigenous youth and the next generation. So, a big part of my work is having a mentorship program. That mentorship program could be on mental health guidance, it could be on guidance about school, about careers, whatever they want to do for their future, because even for myself, I was so lost as a youth, so just having someone that I could relate to and really tap on was really helpful for me. So, I just want to give that back to the community."
"Mental health is something that I think about every day," she says, as advice, "and it's something that I get so nervous about. I know a lot of youth also deal with the same thing. And I think my biggest piece of advice is just, do it scared, just get out there. Do it shaky. Do it nervous. Because, again, really great things happen."
Meanwhile, back at The Shop
"What's really great about The Shop is that it's not just me as a vendor," Jessica says. "It’s a lot of different Indigenous vendors, which is really beautiful, too. So, you have a diverse range of artwork, products, just a bunch of everything. It was all through connections and community, and really recognizing that all of our products are pretty different. They're pretty out there, which is really beautiful, and we just want to share it with the rest of the community."
"When it comes to The Shop," she concludes, "not only are you supporting Indigenous peoples, but you're also educating yourself on Indigenous culture and community. There's a bunch of earrings, we got cups, we got totes, we got clothing, we’ve got food, there's really a bit of everything for anyone. So, absolutely come out, not only support the First Peoples of Canada, but also to support yourself when it comes to your own education and learning."
You can visit The Shop at the Progress Campus bridge, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., until this Friday.