Katrina Keech

Katrina Keech

Anishinaabe, Ontario

Katrina is a young Anishinaabe Kwe from a small community in northern Ontario. Katrina has spent many years learning about her culture and now helps teach others. She is a traditional Jingle Dress Dancer and newly returned to her original dance form and started working on a Fancy Shawl regalia, she also enjoys hand drumming and singing traditional songs especially when she gets to sing with her cousins.

Her newest hobby was inspired by her mom, after years of bugging her mom to make her new beadwork pieces, she felt inspired and decided it was time for her to learn to create pieces for herself.

After a few lessons from her mom and some advice from beaders on TikTok she is now making her own beadwork pieces.

Katrina is always excited to be creating and learning new styles, she started with a simple pair of earrings and now makes lanyards, necklaces, brimmed hats, and pins, and is open to learning new styles and trying to make more intricate versions of what she already knows.

Katrina feels that by making traditional beadwork she can help others reconnect to their culture. She also believes that beadwork can help non-Indigenous people take part and learn about the diverse cultures of Indigenous people. Seeing people wear pieces that she has created inspires her to continue creating and educating.