She:kon, My name is Kaiahtenhtas Thompson, and I am wolf clan from Akwesasne.

I just received my bachelor’s degree in education, but I am taking the time now to focus on my craft, and see where that leads me for a little while.

I learned how to bead when I was 6 years old, from my Ista. She said she always wanted me to have skills that could help me move through life; beadwork being one of them.

I think work created by Indigenous people automatically makes it a representation of the culture, even if it doesn't use traditional symbols. Art can be expressed in various shapes and forms, and I think the images we create represents what it's like to be Indigenous today, what the culture is like today, with an influence of the past.