Sophia Eagle's Blog

Plains Native Woman (tribe unknown) carrying traditional  beaded cradle board (this is one of my favorite pictures)  Every day, I am struck in some way by the beauty that is my culture. Odds are, if you have visited my blog before, you can sense my intense pride in my culture, and this stems in no small way from the stories of endurance and strength I have heard from my family. For my final post, I want to share with you some stories of my family, and why beadwork, quillwork and leather work are such important art forms for me.  (left) Mabel Eagle, early 1980's, with her  granddaughter, my auntie  To start at the tail-end of my family's very sad   history, I will start with my paternal great-     grandmother. Mabel Eagle, who is the first member   of my family to be put on a reservation. Before she   came to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, she and her family lived at a concentration camp in Minnesota. Here, her mother and older sisters starved to death, and her father a

  Sometimes, the ability to follow the principles of one's culture comes in surprising forms. For example, in my case, I can follow old principles of my culture through the use of the Realeather Scrap Bag.  Something that is very important to the Lakota people is the idea of minimizing waste. In our ways, to take from the environment must be meaningful in order for one's life to be worthy and honorable in existence. In the old days, before colonization and reservation life, the Lakota hunted the buffalo across the northern plains region of North America. To us, these animals were some of the most sacred because they allowed us to live, and we were thankful to them before all else. We understood that without their continued existence, we too would cease to exist.  These beliefs of the duality of our existences resulted in deep parts of our spiritual beliefs. We understood the necessity of preserving the species that were so sacred and important to us. To kill a pregnant buffalo

 In the reclamation of Indigenous Identity, names are of the utmost importance. Notes about my culture: names hold a level of sacredness and are part of your holy identity, whether it be your traditional name, your personal name, the names of your pets, your businesses, your cars, etc. To the Lakota and other tribes of the Oceti Sakowin, names are given periodically through one's life, with tremendous weight and ceremony, which were kept close to our chests. Traditional names are not used as one would use a given name, and this extends to the names of our tribes and families. Sicangu Oyate and the Wanbli Tiospaye are examples of this, of sacred names that mean something, that is common across many cultures.  Now, it is necessary to discuss the rampant use of traditional names in branding. There are a huge amount of brands that get their names from either existing names, or stereotypes across the nation. This goes further than brands, including schools and of course mascots that hav

 For at least two generations, an aging population has meant the extreme loss of Native culture. This goes back to the beginning of reservation days, when things like regalia-making, powwow-dancing and spiritual practices were outlawed by the United States Government, in order to eliminate the Native American Tribal identity from existence. My great-grandmother would tell us stories of these events: according to her, when she was a child, only those sixty and older were allowed to take part in powwow dancing and singing. New drums and drumsticks were not allowed to be made. New dancing clothes and regalia were not allowed to be made, and younger people were not allowed to even stand at powwows. In this way, much of our traditions were lost because they were forced to be taught in secrecy. Moving forward, younger people lost these cultural connections, and the amount of people who participated in things like beading and regalia-making sharply decreased.  Earrings made by me In the prese

  Aho, mitakuyepi! Welcome to Oldtown Albuquerque, New Mexico!      This is the location of where my store, Eagle Woman Beadwork, will open soon! Eagle Woman Beadwork will be a place where indigenous artwork can be sold to tourists and locals alike, with a major focus on beaded jewelry and accessories. My store will be a place for you to purchase Native-made, traditional artwork, including pieces like jackets and clothing.  Example of Lakota or Ojibwa Artwork     The mission of my store is to get as many traditional, indigenous artists to be able to sell their work and creations to a wider audience, no matter who it is. Of course, a major focus of Eagle Woman Beadwork is appealing to those of Native culture and ethnicity, so with presentation of valid tribal identification, Native individuals will be able to purchase items at a discount.      As well as selling artwork to those who would be interested in purchase, I will also sell items like bulk porcupine quills, hide and buckskin, si

Red Skirt Day Jingle Dress Regalia  Everyone I know has a story about MMIW. Everyone has a story of the loss, of aunties and sisters going to the store and never coming home, of bodies being discovered with knife marks and being ruled suicides... Native American women are ten times more likely to be murdered than any other ethnicity. The Federal government does not investigate these problems. These are old stories. They are ingrained into us as Native girls, we are told to travel in groups, never tell a white man you're Native if he asks. As time has gone on, marches and protests have sprouted up to raise awareness to this problem, and groups have formed in order to advocate for institutional change.   A lot of art and regalia is created in the color red in order to bring awareness and pay respect to the memories of our stolen sisters. The color red is the color of the South on the sacred Medicine Wheel, and it is said that wearing red catches the attention of those who have becom

'Iron Eyes' Cody  In my opinion, Native American culture is one of the cultures that has been the most casually appropriated through recent history. While   populations plummeted in the past century, the image of the Native     American was an appropriated one by Hollywood. Natives in Cinema have a long and rich history, but in the mid-1900s, County Westerns exploded in popularity. Natives were a part of these movies, and the white executives in charge of writing these movies pushed stereotypical Native caricatures instead of flushed-out characters as parts of these films. This extended to costume, as the 'Indian look' was an important factor in differentiating the white characters from those who were meant to be Native.     'Iron Eyes' Cody (true name Espera Oscar de Corti) was an Italian-American man who became famous in Hollywood for portraying Native Americans in the 1900s. Not only did he act in films, but his roles spread to real life where he pretended,