
My name is Carissa Waugh, my Northern Tutchone name is Eke Ewe, after my great-grandma Emma Shorty. I am Taku River Tlingit First Nation belonging to the Crow Clan. I was taught how to bead by my mom Charlene Waugh and she was taught by her late grandma Elizabeth Ward.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, I was laid off from my full time job and stuck at home with nothing to do. I had some beading supplies building up at home and didn’t really have time for it until then. I started to bead more, making mainly earrings and pop sockets. At this point, I had made an Instagram account (@eke.ewe) to post pictures of my artwork (I also paint with acrylics and I cross stitch, but the page ended up being beadwork). I had some friends follow my page and purchase some items I posted, but it was mostly custom orders. The more I posted and sold, the more I had encouragement to make my own Facebook page. I was very hesitant at first because I know there are already so many Indigenous artists in Yukon and I didn’t think my work would sell. With the support of family and friends, I opened my own Facebook page (Eke Ewe Art), and I have gained a small amount of followers that resulted in a few regular customers. I am so glad that I did listen to the people around me because I do make most of my sales from the Facebook page.
Eke Ewe Art is not an official business yet, but it is something I want to work towards. December 2020 I was able to sell my work at the Yuk’e Arts Market at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Center, it was the very first arts market to sell my beadwork. It was a great learning experience for myself, for example I will definitely be making a bigger stock pile of items that sell faster. This year (June 2021) I will have my beadwork sold at the Adaka Festival, I am very excited! I also will have a painting on display at the festival, but as a part of my Yukon First Nation Climate Action Fellowship.
I found that going into the beading business was a little challenging. There weren’t that many beaders out there that wanted to share their expertise or little helpful tips (a lot of gatekeeping in my opinion, but there have been a couple experienced artists that have helped me both directly and indirectly). It did help that my mom has been a beader for a long time with her own supplies. She helped me so much, whenever I needed anything she almost always had it. After the Yuk’e Arts Market, I realized I really needed a desk; I was beading on a small TV dinner table and I was quickly running out of room. My dad had bought me a desk for Christmas and it helped me get organized and I was beading almost every day after I got the desk. My parents and brothers have been a big part of my beading journey.
Because of my own experience with artists’ gatekeeping tips, I am always eager and happy to help other artists beginning their own businesses in the beading industry. I like that saying “Be that person you needed when you were younger.”
With the platform that I am given by my beading, I want to bring attention to Indigenous Issues such as; Orange Shirt Day and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). In 2020, I sold over 30 pins for Orange Shirt Day, a day dedicated to Residential School Survivors. When I posted each one on my social media channels, I also included a little fact about residential schools and Canada, and sent those along with the pins to my customers. The pins were sent to Atlin, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and of course Whitehorse. I have also sold a lot of MMIWG earrings and most recently a pair of Red Dress Earrings, and did the facts about MMIWG with each posting as well.
Beading is my medicine. During the pandemic, I noticed a trend that young people were drinking more than usual. I made a rule for myself; if I wanted to bead, I wasn’t going to be drinking (not even a sip or just one glass). I wanted to bead all the time so I wasn’t drinking as much as I used to, not that I had a problem before. A traditional teaching that I hold close to my heart and will always take seriously is that you can bead your feelings/energy into your work, so in order to bead good energy you need to be in the right headspace. There would be some moments where I would need to put the beading down, sometimes for a week or just a day. I always felt bad putting a project down at first, but I have realized how important it is to do. Self-care is a big part of the beading journey.
When I first started to sell my beadwork, I was gifting a lot of earrings. I think that was a great strategy for future-selling. A lot of the gifts were for birthdays and Christmas. I still gift earrings/pins; when the order takes a bit longer than usual or when I feel the right energy to. I love to order stickers and gift them with my beadwork and my customers seem to love it as well. I am eternally grateful to those who support my beading journey so I always try to say thank you in little ways.
I look forward to seeing where my beading journey takes me, it’s already taken me to amazing places.
Follow me on Facebook (Eke Ewe Art) and Instagram (@eke.ewe)!
Carissa
I came across your website and in reading it I think I may have met your great grandma Emma Shorty. I was the music teacher at FHCollins from 1977-84 and Emma was the First Nations councillor at the time . One day she honoured me by sharing the devastating story of her being taken to the Carcross Residential School. Over the years I’ve never forgotten it and have shared it with many people who like me were unaware of this atrocity. If she is still around and remembers me give her my very best wishes and thank her for sharing her story with me. In many ways it has changed my life. Also her delightful daughter Elaine was one of the students in my choir and I send her my best wishes. And I love your beadwork.