When 19-year-old Curve Lake First Nation artist Soraya Whetung learned that Winners wanted to sell her handmade jewellery, she had to first confirm that it was, in fact, the Canadian off-price department store chain because she couldn’t believe her good fortune.
“When I started beading, I would never have imagined how far it could go,” she says.
A member of the Curve Lake Youth Council to give voice to her generation, Whetung only recently celebrated the one-year anniversary since officially launching her small business, Soraya Beads. It was only the year prior when she began teaching herself to make beaded earrings, bracelets, and necklaces as a form of creative expression.
“Primarily what first made me interested was Indigenous culture, and that there’s a link between Indigenous people and beading and beading work in general,” Whetung says. “There are so many endless possibilities to beading, and there’s so many things you can learn to make with beading. I just found it very interesting.”
Whetung initially had no intention of turning her newfound passion into a business, but just used it as a fun and creative hobby that gave her with “something cool to wear.” But when her friends and family shared her Facebook and Instagram posts of her artwork, she began getting inquiries from interested buyers.
After being a vendor at the 2023 Curve Lake Christmas Market, she officially launched Soraya Beads when she was asked to sell her products at the Haliburton Wolf Centre. But perhaps the most enjoyable and memorable moment since launching her business was being a vendor at the 71st annual Curve Lake Pow Wow last September.
“There’s so many different, talented artists and jewellery makers out here that I was fearing that mine might get lost in the bunch, but it was such a surreal feeling.” she says. “You would have to be there at your first vendor event for two full days to really get a feel, but it was so fun.”
With thousands of people looking at her products, Whetung says that being at the pow wow allowed her to see how desired her jewellery was.
“At one point, there was a line of people that were just coming up to my booth and buying stuff,” she says. “I was so happy that my beadwork was actually being seen and valued by people. It means a totally different thing when someone is buying your stuff and then wearing it around at the event.”
It was at the end of 2024 when Whetung learned Winners was in search of earrings made by an Indigenous artist. The company was working with Biskane, an e-commerce marketplace that connects retailers and the public with verified Indigenous artwork free of charge.
“Winners was one of the first retail companies that we had the blessing of working with to get Indigenous art into their spaces,” says Biskane founder Chad Solomon, who explains the company is focused on “authentic” Indigenous art.
“We’re really focused on making sure that the art that goes into the marketplace has been checked by the maker of the products,” Solomon says. “Indigenous art isn’t just from someone who does woodland paintings — the artist could make soapstone carvings, or they can do a watercolour painting, or they can make a jacket that has their favourite heavy metal band. Art is about the person who makes the art, not just the product itself.”
Though Winners initially only expressed interest in her earrings, Whetung decided to also post images of her bracelets when making her profile on Biskane’s website, and those are the pieces that representatives at Winners actually chose to order.
“You never know what the buyers are interested in,” Solomon says. “That’s why it’s so important to take chances and take risks in business, because putting yourself out there really allows you to be discovered.”
“Soraya was very, very clever in taking the chance of going ‘You know what, let’s try to post different things and see what might strike the interest of the customer.'”
Though they don’t yet know which Winners stores the bracelets will be sold through, Soloman remains hopeful they will be available in a nearby location, while Whetung is just grateful they’ll be available for a wider market at all.
“I was not expecting that, but it was just lucky how it turned out, because there are so many talented artists on Biskane,” Whetung says. “I’m still new so while I hope for the best, I don’t get my hopes up.”
“I’m just very grateful for this opportunity and I’m so happy that they chose me to represent Curve Lake. It’s a wonderful type of art that we have and I’m unbelievably happy about it.”
As she waits to see her bracelets on the shelves at Winners, Whetung will be preparing to be a vendor on the Pow Wow grounds again for the Curve Lake Mini Market taking place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Indigenous Peoples Day (Saturday, June 21).
“I’m very grateful for the support that I have received from my community, and I hope to continue to make jewellery that makes people happy,” she says.
To see Whetung’s artist profile and works on Biskane, visit www.biskane.com, where you can also browse products handmade by other Indigenous artists.
