Métis beadwork artist keeping tradition alive for a new generation

A Winnipeg artist who connected with her Métis heritage through beadwork is now passing the traditional craft on to the next generation.

Claire Johnston, who has St. Andrews Anglo-Métis heritage and is a proud member of the Two-Spirit Michif Local, loves tactile work, having started beading when she was a child.

It’s a trait passed down from her Elders. Both her grandfather and father worked with their hands, be it through their intricate work repairing elevators or playing guitar.

Traditional Métis beadwork, however, was not something she learned growing up.

“That was a tradition that's been lost in my family, but I always had that interest in working with beads from a young age. And just a few years ago, I finally got to learn,” Johnston said in an interview with CTV Morning Live Winnipeg.

She was able to hone her skills and learn a more traditional style of beading through a course offered by the Seven Oaks Métis Council and the Manitoba Métis Federation.

Johnston also connected with a mentor who is a knowledge keeper and master bead worker, learning how to precisely pierce the leather and expertly pull beads into patterns. She notes flowers and bright colours are hallmarks of Métis designs.

The meticulous work is also therapeutic for Johnston, helping her cope with anxiety.

Along with traditional skill, Johnston was instilled with the understanding that her talent for the craft was given to her for a reason, and now it is her responsibility to share that gift.

“The people who have taught me, especially my mentor, have left me with the advice, ‘We taught you. Now you go share it with others,’” she said.

Taking that lesson to heart, Johnston has led workshops with Mentoring Artists for Women’s Arts.

Next up, she will teach a fish skin tanning workshop with the Louis Riel School Division and host a beadworking workshop at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq on Louis Riel Day.

Keeping the traditional style of beadwork alive for the next generation is particularly important to her.

“There's a huge, huge want from young people to get into this type of work,” Johnston said.

“Even just ways that young Indigenous people can connect with the land, so doing things like hide tanning, then using that material to then bead on. I think young people are really, really eager to be doing these types of things.”

- With files from CTV News' Nicole Dubé