Kelly Back

Mohawk, Akwesasne Ontario

Hello, my name is Kelly, and I am a Mohawk woman from the community of Akwesasne and from the Turtle clan family. I grew up hands on and taught myself various crafts including some beadwork. I was very good at seeing a craft and figuring out how to put it together myself.

I continued beading as an adult, and even taught some beaded loom workshops in university to help other students relieve stress through art.

For our wedding, I made my husband my first beaded loomed belt as a gift. Since then, we have made over 150 custom belts for people to wear at ceremonies, weddings, graduations, showcases or even just for fashion. We have been in multiple fashion shows, won awards, made museum pieces, and now travel for demonstration events. I do the beadwork and my husband helps with the leather work process.

When we make our belts, we first meet with our customer, get to know them, have them describe what they want on their belt, and then we create the design and bead. Sometimes our customers want certain symbolism on their belts to help represent the person wearing it. Almost like making their life story on their belts. I love beading. It is therapeutic and healing for me, especially knowing that I am making someone happy when handing them their finished creation. We take great pride and honor with our beaded belts.

This piece came to mind many years ago after my first art show. I realized the competition that was out there and thought to myself, "I need to up my game. What would be a show stopping piece?" Then this came to mind. I've always admired the late Ray Fadden's story telling belts that was hung on the walls at his museums. I used to go there as a kid. Never knew at the time that loom beading would one day be a career I would pursue. That was my goal, make a story telling piece like Ray Fadden and hope one day it can be in a museum. This is that piece and it's now in the Akwesasne Museum! I also wanted to incorporate as many natural materials as I could. Such as porcupine quills, moose hair, and making sinew the old way by saving an animal tendon. My dream came true, I did just that. With the help of my husband and his skill of hunting, he brought me a roadside porcupine, we collected the tendons from his last deer hunt and helped me make sinew and collected the moose hair from his last moose hunt. This belt is 76 inches in beadwork on cream cow hide.

Kelly Back, Fireloom Creations

Song: Bear Fox :Peace