Quannah Chasinghorse, Mom Jody Potts-Joseph Wear Their Hair Long to Break 'Bonds of Colonization' (Exclusive)

The model and her mother took part in a Mother's Day campaign with Paul Mitchell and spoke to PEOPLE about how their hair empowers them

For Quannah Chasinghorse, her long hair is an important part of her identity.

"I find liberation in honoring my hair the way my ancestors did," she tells PEOPLE exclusively. "When native children were being stolen from their families and homes, and forced into residential schools to 'kill the Indian, save the man,' they stripped away our culture, traditions and teachings, demonizing our ways, cutting our hair and changing our names. Now I can proudly represent my people worldwide with long hair and traditional tattoos."

To showcase this tribute to her culture and her heritage, Chasinghorse — and her mom, Jody Potts-Joseph — stars in a new Mother's Day campaign with Paul Mitchell, which showcases their long hair and draws attention to initiatives they support.

Of her daughter, Potts-Joseph tells PEOPLE, "I am extremely proud of Quannah and her staying so true to who she is as a modern Indigenous woman, while holding onto our traditional teachings, be it around hair teachings or cultural values, she is walking in beauty and strength. I couldn't be more proud or thankful for her and the woman she is."

Since rising to fame as an activist and model, Chasinghorse, who is Hän Gwich'in of Eagle Village, Alaska, on Potts-Joseph's side and Sicangu-Oglala Lakota of the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota on her father's side, has used her platform to draw attention to the inequality and other issues faced by Indigenous people, and to educate people about her background. She is drawn to partnerships that continue to elevate that platform.

"Working with the Paul Mitchell team and family has been such a great experience and partnership," she tells PEOPLE, adding that through the brand, she's been able to get funding for the nonprofit Nia Tero.

"Paul Mitchell also sponsored the first screening of my film Walking Two Worlds back home in my community of Alaska," she adds. "They sent 1,200 clean beauty hair products for me to give out and also donated most of them to women's shelters and youth shelters that lack resources and much-needed products."

Related:Quannah Chasinghorse Didn't Want to Discuss Her Face Tattoo Because People 'Wouldn't Have Accepted'

Chasinghorse and Potts-Joseph used their latest campaign for the brand to help sharing the deep connections they have with their hair and, ultimately, their heritage.

"Native American tribes have always valued hair as sacred; we have specific hair teachings and customs around hair care, beauty and standards," Potts-Joseph tells PEOPLE. "For us to wear our hair long and natural, really it is a part of us breaking the bonds of colonization and proudly displaying our Indigenous beauty, against assimilation and Western norms. My hair is a part of my identity, strength and beauty."

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Related:Quannah Chasinghorse Returns to Met Gala After Previously Expressing Concerns About the Event

The pair also have personal memories around haircare, with Potts-Joseph recalling the special time spent doing her daughter's hair when she was little.

"When she was a toddler, I would have to put on a cartoon — usually Lilo and Stitch — to keep her still so I could fix her hair," Potts-Joseph shares. "As she got older, braiding her hair in the mornings became a special time for us to talk and visit at the start of our day."

For Chasinghorse, she has fond memories of her mom trying out different hairstyles on her and making sure she understood that taking care of your hair was a part of self-care — what Potts-Joseph describes as learning about her "value and worth."

"It was also important in helping her take pride in what the Creator blessed her with, so that she could be herself and not have to try to conform to fit a beauty standard that we might not fit into," she adds.

It also prepared Chasinghorse for her future career sitting in the hair and makeup chair — with Potts-Joseph sometimes braiding her hair "so tight" that she would "go to school with a facelift."

"I don't have a tender head, that's for sure," Chasinghorse says. "When hairstylists do my hair, they are always cautious and don't want to hurt me, which is super sweet, but the funny thing is, I mostly don't notice it at all."

Related:Model Quannah Chasinghorse Would Tell Her Younger Self to Ignore the 'Bullies' — 'You're Beautiful'

In caring for her hair, Chasinghorse says she does very little with it, favoring a simple process using products including the Paul Mitchell Clean Beauty Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner and the Clean Beauty Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. Mom uses the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Hemp Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner.

Both of them let their hair air dry naturally from there and often put it in braids.

Related:Model Quannah Chasinghorse Fronts New Mackage Campaign as She Continues to Drive Change in Fashion

"[My mom] is the foundation of my life, my rock, and has always voiced her truth and shown up when needed," Chasinghorse shares of getting to experience this photo shoot with her mother. "She is a matriarch and did it all as a single parent and still made sure I was well-loved and cared for. This campaign captures sweet moments with my mom that I will cherish."

Potts-Joseph reflects on the campaign, telling PEOPLE that it was such a special experience that she was so grateful for.

"Being a mother has been the greatest joy, honor and privilege of my life and I have a special relationship with each of my children," she says. "However, over the many years of raising Quannah and braiding her hair every day as a child, we have a very special bond that transcends all else."

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Read the original article on People.