Why did this outfit by a Blackfoot designer lead to controversy… and what does she think about it?
CBC
A Blackfoot designer says she was shocked when her latest collection received backlash online over sexualization of Indigenous women and inappropriate use of traditional medicines.
Melrene Saloy-Eaglespeaker, a member of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) Nation in Alberta, said the collection, which was designed for Santa Fe's Native Fashion Week last month, was inspired by the healing she finds in design and creativity, as well as her respect for traditional medicines.
"I just wanted to bring these two amazing elements together," she said.
Saloy-Eaglespeaker, who grew up in Calgary, said she used sage, cedar and sweetgrass to create the collection.
The clothes also featured leather, satin and black sheer elements — a fixture of her work.
"I have always kind of used very out there, very contemporary [ways of] showcasing of the female form in many of my prior collections," she said, adding her work aims to reclaim Indigenous women's sexuality.
Despite previous designs appearing at fashion shows in Milan and Paris, she said she's never experienced criticism like this before, although she knows that using traditional medicines "in a contemporary way can be shocking."
Still, she said she was surprised that so much of the criticism said the model was sexualized due to the amount of skin that showed and that using sacred medicines in revealing clothing was wrong. Saloy-Eaglespeaker rejects that idea.
"I would think that a woman's body would be the most sacred space to have these medicines," she said.
Before beginning her work, she said, she consulted with multiple family members and elders about the idea.
She, along with other family members, harvested the medicines for the collection using protocols such as leaving tobacco and only taking what was needed.
When negative reactions to the collection poured out online — commenters also accused her of vanity and behaving like an "unconnected" person — she was hurt.
Saloy-Eaglespeaker said she believes the fact that she's biracial (her mother, who raised her, is Blackfoot and her father is Creole) and grew up in the city could be a factor in some people's reaction to her work.
"Like because I am biracial, then I'm not Native enough to be able to use and do things with [medicines]," she said.
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