Rachel Volkmann

Mohawk, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

My name is Rachel Volkmann. I am Mohawk, born and raised in Tyendinaga by Mohawk parents. Through the years I have had many teachers, but mainly my parents. When I was a young girl, my mother was my first teacher and she taught me how to do all the things she knew. Over the years she allowed me the space to make my own creations and would always encourage me when I created something new.

My father had an eye for details and helped us express our art. I remember one time, he made us beads from twigs to use on the things we made. The combination of my mothers techniques and my fathers detailed eye gave me a solid foundation to my art. I have found that I am most at peace, joy and happiness when I am in nature. I find myself thinking about the next thing I'm going to create while I am in creation picking wild berries or digging stones from the earth, tending my garden or dragging brush from the woodline, my mind is always creating something new. It is my hope that the things I create will allow others to see the beauty, peace and blessings in creation that surrounds us all.