The American Indian Student Center (AISC) will welcome students to participate in a beading and ribbon skirt workshop, a valued tradition that reflects the art and heritage of the community on Oct. 3 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the AISC building..
Instructors Miranda Codotte and Cante Lonehill will guide participants through the process of either beading or ribboning, as they create colorful final projects. The projects vary from beading keychains to crafting ribbon skirts.
Beadwork is a sacred Native American art form that involves small seed beads, looms, thread and thin needles.
Codotte, a senior and self-taught beading enthusiast, leads the beading projects at the workshop. She focuses on different patterns and techniques at each workshop and participants can expect to learn something new at every workshop.
Codotte said she enjoys beadwork because it helped her through a time when her mental health was low. Beadwork was an escape for her and it guided her into developing a passion for the art.
Beading workshops also allowed Codotte to meet new people and create friendships.
Her love for beadwork inspired her to start her own small business, Grandriver Creations. She sells crafting supplies and handmade beaded accessories such as earrings, keychains, and lanyards.
The small business can be visited at grandrivercreations.com.
Ribbon skirts are handmade skirts worn by members of Indigenous communities. Each skirt is pieced by fabric and multiple ribbon colors. Ribbon skirts are worn during powwows but can be worn daily.
Wiyaka His Horse Is Thunder, director of AISC, said the workshops exists on campus because they were highly requested by students. Many students wanted to participate in activities that represented their community and brought a sense of home to campus.
“I think students often find the workshops to be relaxing,” His Horse Is Thunder said. “It is a way to take their mind off homework and exams.”
The number of participants at the workshops initially begin low but are known to increase as students progress through their projects. The beading and ribbon skirt workshop is open to both indigenous and non-indigenous students.
Michael Hall, a freshman and tribe member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) from Fort Berthold, North Dakota, began beading this semester.
“Having access to a workshop like beading and ribboning helps me feel connected to a tribal community as I have not previously felt connected,” Hall said.
Madison Faber, a freshman and non-indigenous workshop participant, enjoyed beading at the workshop earlier in the semester.
“I enjoyed getting to explore another culture because I grew up in a less diverse community, so it was fun to learn about other people’s backgrounds,” Faber said.
The beading and ribbon skirt workshop will take place on Thursday The workshop is free, and all students are welcome to join.
