Nestled in the busy streets of Austin or residing a few keyboard clicks away, Native American-owned businesses bring forth an array of products to customers. These businesses range from makeup brands to bookstores, offering a variety of stores to support and frequent.
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, The Daily Texan compiled a list of varying Native American-owned businesses.
Resistencia Books stems from the cultural arts organization Red Salmon Arts. This organization promotes the works of newer and older writers from Indigenous communities, aiming to amplify the voices that so often become silenced. The titles offered at the bookstore echo this sentiment, ranging from theory to fiction. Extremely local and focused on community, the bookstore holds literary events and acts as a meeting space for community organizations, according to their website.
If looking for an accessible way to offer patronage to Native American-owned businesses, consider frequenting the WYLD Gallery located at the Icosa Collective offers a look at Native American art. The gallery serves as the only gallery presenting Native American art in Austin, making it a cultural landmark for the city. Works from Native American artists, such as Douglas Miles and Natalie Miller, move viewers deeply with their beauty and complexity.
Featured in acclaimed magazines Vogue and Allure, Ah-Shí beauty’s founder Ahsaki Báá LaFrance-Chachere, a member of the Navajo Nation, curated a hybrid makeup and skincare brand. The brand’s name means “This is me” in Diné, the Navajo language, highlighting the individuality of the business and of the owner. Accessible on the website and at Macy’s, the cosmetic brand emphasizes self-expression. A revolutionary business, Ah-Shí acts as the first Indigenous and Black-owned beauty brand in the U.S.
This jerky bar based on a traditional Native American Lakota recipe for wasna or pemmican — historically Indigenous foods — contains smoky, sweet bison meat with hints of cranberry. The brand being gluten, nut, dairy and antibiotic-free appeals to many. Co-founder Karlene Hunter, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, holds experience in working with Native American natural foods. Extremely accessible, these bars can be found in grocery stores nearby, such as Kroger and Walmart.
Destiny Seymour held a desire to preserve her Anishinaabe ancestors’ intricate patterns which adorned pottery and hosts of bone tools, according to her website. She did so by creating the Indigo Arrow line of patterned textiles, passing on the patterns from her ancestors to people’s homes. The printed and handmade linen collections offer a number of products, such as pillows and napkins.
