25 Indigenous and Native-Owned Businesses to Shop this Holiday
Shop with intention during the holidays, and always, at these indigenous and native-owned businesses.
November marks more than the beginning of the holiday shopping season, it’s also National Native American Heritage Month. While Native-inspired designs are always a hit, the businesses on this list produce designs that are Native-made, not just Native-inspired. Take a minute to learn about these small businesses, all owned and operated by Indigenous individuals or tribes. While you're at it, you might find some items to scratch off that shopping list! Here are Indigenous and native-owned businesses to shop this holiday season and always.
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25 Indigenous and Native-Owned Businesses
Founded by Maria Running Fisher Jones (Blackfeet), TPMOCS features soft leather moccasins in sizes 0-7 (sizes 4-7 include additional leather outsole support). Can non-native babies wear these moccasins? According to the website’s FAQ, the answer is an emphatic YES! And with each purchase, TPMOCS directs resources to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Related: Celebrate Native American Heritage Month With 25 Native American Heritage Facts
2. Trickster Company
Founded by designers and siblings Rico and Crystal Worl, Trickster Company offers a wide range of products— from cutting boards to skateboards. Designs are rooted in Native and Northwest Coastal culture and are created with the intention of inviting non-natives to enjoy Native designs without risking appropriation.
3. Ginew
Husband and wife team Erik and Amanda own Ginew, the first (and only) Native American-owned line of denim. The company offers more than just denim, however. Premium blankets, bandanas and accessories, including leather goods made with pre-industrial methods, are all featured online and in select retailers for purchasing products in stores.
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4. Bedré Fine Chocolate
Owned by the Chickasaw Nation, 'bedré’ is a Norwegian word meaning ‘better’. The Chickasaw Nation purchased this existing chocolatier in 2000 and set about growing the company into a nationally recognized brand. The website features a variety of chocolates and gifts, as well as recipes that “reflect the time-honored tradition of the Native American peoples who first cultivated this divine delicacy.”
5. IOWAY Bee Farm
Owned and operated by the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, the IOWAY Bee Farm’s products range from candles to cosmetics. They have honey, too, of course! The bees’ access to diverse plant life gives the honey a distinct flavor profile.
6. Cheekbone Beauty
Jenn Harper founded Cheekbone Beauty with her Anishinaabe roots in mind. The company seeks to waste less and give more. Their SUSTAIN line of cosmetics features minimal packaging for a less-waste consumer experience. And the company has donated over $150,000 to date to nonprofits across North America.
Related: 25 inspiring Indigenous American activist accounts to follow
7. Beyond Buckskin
Founded in 2009 by Jessica R. Metcalfe (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Beyond Buckskin works with over 40 different artists and small businesses to curate an online boutique that specializes in apparel and accessories.
8. B. Yellowtail
Founder, designer, CEO and namesake, Bethany Yellowtail launched her own company after leaving corporate fashion behind in 2015. This fashion brand and retailer features apparel, accessories, and home goods that are “indigenously designed for all.”
9. Copper Canoe Woman Creations
As owner and operator of Copper Canoe Woman jewelry, Vina Brown designs bold, modern statement pieces that draw out elements of coastal Indigenous culture. Brown specializes in colorful, playful earrings.
10. Indigo Arrows
Destiny Seymour (Anishinaabe), interior designer and founder of Indigo Arrows, finds inspiration from the patterns used to adorn pottery by the Indigenous people in Manitoba. Her elegant line of textiles includes pillows, linens, quilts and more can be found online.
11. Bison Naturals
Husband and wife team Angelo and Jacqueline McHorse turned a soap-making hobby into a family business in 2013. Today, Bison Naturals features an extensive line of organic soaps, lotions, bath salts, and more.
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12. Ah-Shi Beauty
Ah-Shi Beauty means ‘this is my beauty,’ in Navajo. Founded by Ahsaki Baa Lafrance-Chachere, this cosmetics brand features an extensive line of cosmetics and skincare from the basics (concealer and powder) to bright eyeshadows and lipsticks.
13. Séka Hills
Owned by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, the name Séka Hills is a reference to the blue hills of Northern California’s Capay Valley. The tribe practices environmental stewardship and sustainability to produce olive oil, wine, nuts, beef, and more on the Yocha Dehe Farm and Ranch.
14. Eighth Generation
This Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe provides an alternative to “Native-inspired” art and products through its artist-centric approach and 100% Native designed products. Their enamel pins would make nice stocking stuffers!
15. Indi City
Angel and Alex are the couple and co-founders behind Indi City, a jewelry company that blends contemporary fashion and authentic Indigenous design. Indi City earrings are big and bold statement pieces, designed around themes like ancestral medicine and clouds.
16. Beard and Buck
Brandon Hill (Cherokee) operates a brand of hunting apparel and media in Oklahoma. Find tee-shirts, patch hats, and stickers in their online store or the Bluestem Mercantile store online or in person.
17. Sḵwálwen Botanicals
Leigh Joseph of Squamish First Nation brings her experience as an ethnobotanist, researcher and community activist to this line of botanicals. Joseph uses gentle, sustainable practices to harvest the plants that go into each skincare product.
18. 3Ps in a Pod
Owned and operated by sisters Carissa and Jean Pankey, 3Ps specializes in handcrafted bath and body products such as vegetable-based soaps, sinus balm, scrubs, lotion bars, Dead Sea bath soaks, powders and lip balms. Their Sinus Balm is a must-have during allergy season!
19. Prados Beauty
Cece Meadows blends her Xicana and Indigenous heritage into the Prados brand to create an inclusive community and products. Prados Beauty is more than cosmetics. Their line of brushes, lashes, makeup and mirrors are bright and playful.
20. Thunder Voice Hat Co.
Founded by Thunder Voice Eagle from the Dine (Navajo) people, Thunder Voice Hat Co. resists fast fashion and mass production by producing an iconic line of Navajo brim hats from reclaimed materials. Hat availability is limited but the online shop features a variety of other apparel and products.
21. The NTVS
Founded by two Native American guys trying to fill a hole in the market, The NTVS offers authentic Native-made products as an alternative to knock-off native designs found in box stores. The company features designs that blend humor while hitting on serious issues. Fans of the FX series Reservation Dogs will love these Sharpies!
22. Urban Native Era
Founded by Joey Montoya (Lipan Apache) as a Facebook account documenting protest and Indigenous news, the project evolved into an apparel brand for all communities. Urban Native Era’s pieces feature simple designs with bold statements.
23. 4KINSHIP
Founded in 2015 by Amy Denet Deal (Diné), 4KINSHIP is a sustainable artwear brand specializing in reclaimed vintage pieces. Visit the website to shop the ‘Upcycle Attelier’ and find gifts that give back to the Navajo/Diné community.
24. Passamaquoddy Maple
In 2013 the Passamaquoddy Tribe started tapping into the rich natural resources of their Aboriginal Lands in Eastern Maine and Western New Brunswick, Canada. Passamaquoddy Maple is an economic development project of the Tribe. Tasty products include maple syrup, sugar, and candies.
25. Prudy Correa
Prudy Correa is a third-generation potter from the Pueblo of Acoma living and working in New Mexico. Correa harnesses patience and hard work to create figurines and potteries. Visit the online gallery to find a handmade nativity scene or holiday ornament.
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