Jasmine Grondin (Wild North Homestead)

My name is Jasmine McKenzie-Grondin, mistāhi sakahikān ōchi nītha (I’m from La Ronge) and currently reside here as well on Treaty 6 territory. I’m of Woodland nehīthaw (Cree) and Irish ancestry. I’m a mother of 3 and am a beading artist. I mix traditional and contemporary Indigenous art styles into my beadwork and primarily make jewelry, regalia, and moccasins.

I learned how to bead moccasins from John Spyglass in Saskatoon, SK while working at the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre, from there I learned to bead jewelry and regalia through online tutorials and YouTube videos, I have been beading for 3-4 years. I helped to support my growing family with my beadwork by selling it on my social media pages and at local art markets. I will be applying for art grants in the near future to pursue new beading art projects and to further improve my skills.

Beadwork to me, is a way of reconnecting to our culture, my family was and continues to be greatly affected by the residential school system and intergenerational trauma, and beading is a way to reconnect to traditional values and teachings. It means that my children see me practicing our culture in a healthy and healing way that gently encourages others to do the same. I’m always open to answering questions for those that are learning to bead and I also enjoy facilitating workshops on how to make moccasins and creating beadwork.

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ēkosi
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