Karennotakies Barnes

Karennotakies Barnes, Beadwork, moccasins, leatherwork, jewelry, Indigenous Artist, First Nations, Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada, Pass The Feather

Karennotakies Barnes

Karennotakies Barnes

Mohawk, Ontario

I am the artist behind Three Sisters Designs. My Kanien’kéha name is Karennotakies, which means she is singing around. I am Mohawk, Turtle Clan of Akwesasne. I like using the traditional Haudenosaunee style of raised beadwork. I incorporate natural materials such as leather and wampum as seen in my work. I learned the same way many artists have, at Totas table.

Karennotakies Barnes, Beadwork, moccasins, leatherwork, jewelry, Indigenous Artist, First Nations, Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada, Pass The Feather

My grandma Donna Benedict taught me how to bead, sew, and work with leather. I’ve been creating since I was 15, going on 13 years altogether. I started my business after my grandmother passed away about 4 years ago. She was the driving force behind Three Sisters Designs. Creating helps me grieve and heal living without her, and I can only strive to be as good of an artist as she was. It’s always been a goal of mine to have my work represented in the woodland cultural center. A lot of my inspiration comes from my family, I have a beautiful son and daughter. I also find a lot of inspiration while being a language student and learning more about our history. I love looking at beadwork from the 1800-the 1900’s there so much beauty in our history and language. I hope to continue making beadwork that last generations. All my creations and future creations can be found on my Instagram profile “Three Sisters Design”.

Nía:wen/ thank you.

Buy their work...

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Workshops...

Karennotakies is a teacher and facilitator of:

- Moccasin Making Workshops

-Beading Workshops (Jewelry)

Please contact artist for details, pricing, and availability.