Online moccasin store sparks debate with 'Indigenous inspired' designs
CBC
A website selling moccasins with what looks like Haudenosaunee-style beadwork but with no attribution to an artist or community has sparked conversation online about how to identify authentic Indigenous crafts.
Métis visual artist Christi Belcourt made a social media post in November flagging the website, Moccasin Canada. Its name is similar to another business, Moccasins Canada, but the Moccasin Canada Facebook page appears to have been created in November.
Commenters on Belcourt's post said they tried to reach out to the company for clarity but have not received any response. Belcourt said she is leery of websites that lack transparency.
"It looks really distinguishable, like a Haudenosaunee pattern," Belcourt said.
"I've had some experience with my own work being lifted and produced in overseas storefronts.”
Indigenous artists, designers and business owners say they have to be vigilant to ensure their work is not appropriated. Although protecting Indigenous intellectual property in Canada is complicated, experts say there are ways to safeguard both the artist and ensure consumers are buying authentic.
One of the people who commented on Belcourt’s post was Kawisaienhne Albany, a Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) beadwork artist from Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke whose work has been copied online.
Two years ago, when she noticed one of her designs was copied by a seller on Etsy, she asked them to remove the photo and they agreed.
"I think they were selling it for like $83 but they had sold so many. So it's like they're profiting off of my designs, my colours and something I made special for my cousin," she said.
Albany said her moccasins sell for $650 to $1,000 because they take 40 to 50 hours to complete and are made with quality materials, like smoked moose hide or buckskin. She uses tiny beads for more detail, each individually sewn onto the moccasin and intended to last a lifetime. Only the leather needs to be replaced after significant wear.
She said it’s disrespectful to Indigenous artists who’ve been honing their craft for generations "to try to undermine us and undercut us with our prices and to copy everything just to make a buck."
Creating is a spiritual practice for her, she said.
"I really think about who the individual is I'm making it for and how it can connect to them," Albany said.
"Some of my designs I've dreamt of for family members. So those ones I really hold close to my heart."
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