Tlingit Artist K̲aachgóon Rochelle Smallwood Reflects on the Holiday Season From an Indigenous Perspective

K̲aachgóon Rochelle Smallwood (@Tlingit.Witch) recently reflected with Rising Indigenous Voices Radio on the recent 2022 holiday season, the importance of shopping Indigenous-owned brands year round.

How important are the holidays to you?

When I was gifted my second Lingít name, K̲aachgóon, I took on her personality. She was my great-great-grandmother who was alive when I was born and gave me my first Lingít name, Yeeskanaalx Tláa.  K̲aachgóon wasn’t raised to be a holiday person and ever since I was given her name I have not been too into the holidays myself, with the exception of Halloween!

What are your typical holiday traditions? 

We used to celebrate Russian Christmas when I was younger on January 7th just for fun and my mom would make Russian tea cakes and bring them over to my grandma’s house. I still prefer to celebrate on that day when there is not all of the rush and chaos that happens on December 25th. I like spending time with just a few loved ones and giving either thrifted or handmade gifts. 

Which Indigenous owned brands should people shop at this holiday season?

There are so many of my friends who are Indigenous artists and I don’t even know where to begin to list them all! I want everyone to support them all. I’m afraid to even make a list because I know I’ll forget some and later it’ll haunt me. I’d say do your research and find which artists call to you! 

Good gift to get for your favorite Native relative?

Something that you put thought and love into! It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. You can share your time, gifts, and humor with one another. All of that is felt and appreciated. 

How important is it to shop Indigenous brands year long and beyond just the holidays?

It is important to support Indigenous artists however you can whether that means buying or sharing their work. Just uplifting them however you can and knowing their worth. Also, Indigenous artists go beyond beaded earrings. Although, don’t get me wrong, beaded earrings are my weakness and you can never have too many pairs. I just encourage you to think outside of the box of what it means to be and support Indigenous artists. You can hire Native musicians, photographers, designers, videographers, and storytellers. The possibilities are endless. Who we are, we can’t be contained in a box or limited to a romanticized version of who we are and what we can be.

What was your favorite gift from Christmas that you received this holiday season?

This year for Christmas all I asked for was for some family photos. I love  taking photos and capturing the time we are in now. My grandma was comfy in her pajamas but offered to take photos of my kiddo and me and our two cats. It’s just the little things and moments that mean the most. 

K̲aachgóon Rochelle Smallwood is a Lingít Visual Storyteller based in her ancestral homeland in Áak’w Ḵwáan Aaní, Juneau-Douglas, Alaska. She’s previously studied Art and Alaska Native Languages and Studies at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, and Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins in London, she is currently studying Cinematic Arts online at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.