2 Secwépemc-led businesses you can support during this holiday season

This holiday season brings another opportunity to shop local and support Secwépemc artists, organizations and businesses built right here in Kamloops (Tk’emlúps). 

In our recent story, we shared some holiday markets and events to visit to kick-start your gift giving, and this week we chatted with two Secwépemc-led businesses that can help make gifting a hit this year for both the products themselves and the stories behind them. 

For more information on Indigenous owned and operated businesses in town, visit the Kamloops business directory or check out a few of The Wren’s favourites from year’s past. 

4 Generations Creations

Ashley Michel launched 4 Generations Creations in 2013 after her daughter was born. Michel is Secwépemc from Tk’emlúps, and she wanted her daughter to grow up involved in her language and culture. 

“I started creating regalia and ribbon skirts for her and I to wear to powwows just locally,” she tells The Wren. “Back in the day, there wasn’t any social media or tutorials online to teach me. It was all simply just self-taught and was a lot of trial and error, but I started just creating.”

This self-taught skill garnered the attention, and Michel secured local orders, turning her hobby and passion into a business. After she boosted her sales through social media, Michel was able to quit her job and in 2018, devoted her full attention to 4 Generations. 

“It was like the dream setup,” she says. “It was my passion. I was able to participate in culture and just travel to different communities and do something that I never got to do as a child growing up.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic limited travel and powwows were halted, Michel pivoted, launching her first sticker collection and sharing her art on social media.

“Tik Tok blew up one of my videos. I sold out of my sticker collection, so I reinvested back into my business.”

After that she bought more supplies like a heat press so she could start making her own apparel and accessories from home. As the world reopened following the pandemic,  Michel was able to travel again to powwows, this time with a more robust product. 

“I had a brand and designs that would educate others about Indigenous issues and resiliency.”

But Michel noticed another roadblock for Indigenous creators like herself. In her travels,  she noticed a lack of accessible crafting supplies for Indigenous people to create traditional attire. So, she started carrying beads and fabric in addition to all of her other products to offer at powwows.  

All of this growth and learning culminated in the physical store of 4 Generations Creations in November 2023 at Sahali Mall. 

Read more: 2 Secwépemc-led businesses you can support during this holiday season

“I don’t have to be here [the store] all the time anymore. I’m able to employ Indigenous youth here as well. We have eight employees including myself. We’re all Indigenous from the surrounding communities here,” Michel says. 

With the support of her employees, she is still able to attend events. 

Michel also supports over 30 Indigenous small businesses and artists at her store. She’s also expanded into the store next door since the amount of products grew. Even now, Michel says her space is feeling small and they are looking to move into a bigger location in the new year. 

“We want to support more Indigenous artists and businesses from across Turtle Island. We just have no more space anymore.”

Her customer base varies, but she has seen folks come from Williams Lake, Kelowna, Quesnel and other Indigenous communities. 

Michel was able to carry many Indigenous businesses in her store due to connections she made in powwows over the years.

Tiktok became an important resource for her and she was flown by them to an event in Ottawa. There she met the owner of Kokom Scrunchies Mya, an Indigenous youth from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation. 

Kokom Scrunchies is sold at the store along with many others. “We have a store where we want to uplift authentic Indigenous businesses because appropriation is something I don’t want to stand for,” Michel says. 

Michel wants to offer a space where people can shop authentically-made Indigenous products and it does not matter if they are non-Indigenous. 

“I feel like people are a little bit hesitant to come into our store because of the [cultural] appropriation. They’re not sure if they’re allowed to shop here. Whereas everyone’s welcome.” 

Supporting 4 Generations Creations is supporting both a local business, as well as Indigenous owned small businesses across Canada. For example, Authentic Indigenous Seafood, Medicine Wheel Publishing, Leon’s Deadly Beads & Dreams and more.

For this holiday season, the store has holiday baskets with themes including a snack basket featuring dry meat from Mitsoh, candied salmon and a bannock mix by Bangin’ Bannock, along with other snacks.

There is also a wide variety of jewelry, measuring cups with unique Indigenous art work, coffee, teas, candles, bath bombs, blankets, shawls, ponchos, dreamcatchers and much more. 

For someone who is interested in DIY projects such as scrunchie making, there are kits available. In addition, beading kits and crafting materials including ribbon, fabrics, beads, fur, bone, shell, hide, sewing supplies can be found as well.

Tk’emlúps Traditions

Tk’emlúps Traditions began with Ed Jensen, a Secwépemc hunter, artist, teacher and spiritual leader. He has been an artist throughout his entire life, building bows and arrows from a young age.

Jensen founded his business back in 2014 as a way to pursue his passion for the arts. During that year, he was finishing up his term as a council member for Tk’emplús Te Secwépemc. 

“The driving force was the escape, me having those days at work not really enjoying my time behind a desk, and the life of politics wasn’t for me,” Jensen says. 

Crafting knapped knives made from arrowheads or bows was a way for him to unwind. Quickly, people wanted to buy his works of art. As word-of-mouth spread he was able to make more items. 

In late 2015 and early 2016 he gave it all to his business. Being self taught in the range of skills required to run a business, from marketing to accounting, it has been a learning curve. 

“I spent that first year starving, getting behind in bills, making mistakes and learning,” he says.

By 2017, things turned around and he started doing workshops and selling his jewelry, carvings and other products. 

Workshops became a big part of his business along with his pieces. Jensen hosts beginner-friendly workshops in flint knapping and making arrowheads.

Other courses include knife making, rattle making, copper etching, and beginner jewelry and wire wrapping.

Jensen sells a variety of items related to Secwépemc culture and traditions. 

“It is all Secwépemc, Interior plateau art styles. I was always fascinated by the work of the ancestors and that is where I draw my inspiration from.”

Secwépemc tools like fish spears and drums, along with other tools are made by Jensen. 

He had to do a lot of research around Secwépemc carving styles and items that were found around gravesites. 

“I have done some replica work along with studying the nuances of Interior-style carving which is not like anything else, it is very distinct and there is nobody doing it. 

“One of my legacies will be to bring it back and to teach it to others and show it to the world.” 

Currently, he has two apprentices working with him, building inventory like jewelry, carvings, knives and traditional tools. 

The materials Jensen uses for his products are all land-based and can be found within the Tk’emplús territory. Some materials are stone, bone, antler and wood. 

“I am a hunter. I have always had access to sinew, bone, leather, rawhide, so those things are what we use,” he says. 

Jensen is available to take custom orders, but due to high demand, these can take up to three months to complete. 

“I am getting very high-level commission work for Thompson Rivers University that will be unveiled next spring.” 

To place an order, contact Jensen through Facebook or Instagram, there he posts the inventory he has available. 

Some of the most popular items in his inventory are stone knives, a line of arrowhead jewelry, earrings with abalone, porcupine quills and deer antlers. 

Every product he offers is one-of-a-kind and has been handmade.