Twin Cities–based Sičangu Lakota visual artist Dyani White Hawk has garnered awards and accolades galore — we’re talking MacArthur Genius Grant–level acclaim — for her evocative paintings, sculptures, and other works that draw from her life experiences. She brings that same passion to the jewelry and textiles on offer through her Četáŋ Ská brand (meaning “white hawk” in Lakota). Donning one of her creations feels like wearing a piece of art because it is.

Red Cliff Ojibwe/French/Irish artist Renee Belanger has made a name for herself crafting not only gorgeous earrings, bracelets, and necklaces but also outfitting hats with her intricate beadwork. As part of her journey to better connect to her Native heritage as an adult, Belanger learned this art in 2021 and ever since has been producing these beautiful pieces, ranging from pretty to playful to powerful. She frequently pops up at Twin Cities events and markets.

A decade ago, Anishinaabe designer Sarah Agaton Howes was busy making regalia, moccasins, and other apparel when demand outpaced her capacity as a one-woman shop. She enlisted her fellow Fond du Lac Reservation community members to help in the effort, while simultaneously being invited to join notable Native-owned marketplace Eighth Generation’s Inspired Native Project. All that serendipitous momentum came to fruition as Heart Berry, her community-centered business offering scarves, throw blankets, and more adorned with the brand’s signature floral and woodland motifs.

Based in the Walker community of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Delina White is an internationally acclaimed fashion designer, jewelry maker, and textile and beadwork artist whose Anishinaabe heritage influences her woodland-inspired dresses, tops, scarves, and other contemporary apparel under the name IamAmanishinaabe. She’s also a guiding light in the national Native scene, having founded Native Nations Fashion Night to uplift Indigenous artisans from across the continent. The inaugural event was even recognized with an official state proclamation.

Carrying on the millennia-old practice of lampworking — using a hot flame to melt glass then forming the molten material into intricate shapes — Ojibwe/Finnish/Syrian artist Jes Durfee has been crafting stunning glass works for over 20 years. During that time, the Duluth resident has become nationally renowned for his mesmerizing pendants and marbles containing elements like butterflies, flowers, and even entire universes. His technique, honed by learning from mentors around the globe, is equal parts art and science.

Originally hailing from Lakota land in modern-day South Dakota, traditional herbalist Megan Schnitker infuses ancestral wisdom into her plant-based personal care products. Her balms, salves, tinctures, and other eco-friendly items are all made in small batches in her Mankato-based workshop with filtered beeswax, organic essential oils, and organic olive and sunflower oils, and without preservatives, dyes, or perfumes. It’s a family affair, with her brothers working alongside her as part of the Lakota Made team.

Twin Cities residents have probably seen self-taught multimedia artist Marlena Myles’ murals adorning walls around town. The Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscogee activist’s public art installations and augmented reality exhibitions — like the Dakota Sacred Hoop Walk at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum — are as educational as they are beautiful, helping viewers connect with and celebrate the Indigenous cultures of this place. Her colorful, captivating designs and patterns are also available as prints, accessories, housewares, and even fabric for DIY crafters.

A subdivision of the nonprofit White Earth Land Recovery Project, Native Harvest has a brick-and-mortar shop in Callaway and also sells its wild rice, specialty foods, beaded jewelry, and birchbark crafts online. Proceeds support efforts to facilitate recovery of the original land base to the eponymous Tribal nation based in northwestern Minnesota so that its members can continue to steward the land as their ancestors have done since time immemorial. Fair warning: Those highly coveted, hand-harvested food products can sell out quickly.

Hearing an artist’s backstory makes their work all the more meaningful. SkyAnne Sickler didn’t grow up knowing much about her Hocąk (Ho-Chunk) culture because her mom was placed in the foster care system at a young age — an all-too-common phenomenon among Native communities due to oppressive colonialism-era policies. As an adult, the Mankato-based artist has endeavored to reconnect, and Prairie Willow is a happy result of that process. Beaded jewelry takes center stage, with personal care products and dream catchers also available. 

The name says it all: Red Lake Nation Foods is the retail arm of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians of North Central Minnesota, offering specialty foods such as maple syrup, wild fruit jellies, and wild rice. In fact, the Tribe is the only U.S. Tribal nation to grow and harvest its own cultivated wild rice on local lands. It’s a full-on community effort, with Tribal members helping forage for berries and other ingredients that are transformed into delectable items. All of the Red Lake Nation’s goods are available through its online marketplace, Nawapo, which also showcases foods and gifts from other Indigenous makers.

Aiming to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary, Rubinski Works founder Madison Holler pulls inspiration from her Anishinaabe, Scandinavian, and Dutch heritage and taps into her metalsmithing, printmaking, and other fine arts skills to yield her trademark aesthetic. That takes shape as delicately beaded earrings, embroidered apparel, and wool throws, all responsibly made with a slow-fashion approach and a low environmental impact. Each piece is thoughtfully imbued with a folklore sensibility that feels right at home here in Minnesota.

Since 2014, the multi-Tribal team behind The NTVS has been designing premium art-driven streetwear that is unapologetically Indigenous. That includes tees, hoodies, and even stickers with playfully provocative takes on familiar logos and iconography. Anyone and everyone who supports Native culture is invited in on the joke and encouraged to wear the brand’s apparel. But buyers best be ready, as limited-edition items sell out quickly, like this summer’s Olympic-themed jacket celebrating iconic Sac and Fox athlete Jim Thorpe.

Learn about more ways to support and celebrate Minnesota's vibrant Native American communities.