While there were Native American women included, there were only five pieces in the entire exhibit which consisted of hundreds.  So, here is my #thisiswhatyoumissedsmithsonian list!  Each lady featured has broken barriers in at least one of the five exhibit key areas and made their mark within and beyond Indian Country. 

“Americans have claimed girls’ bodies as community property.”

Education

Lourdes “Lulu” Pereira. Photo by Ms/Mr. Indigenous ASU Committee on Facebook.

I first heard about Lulu, now Miss Indigenous at Arizona State University, when she was fighting gender and racial discrimination at her high school graduation.  She was banned from attending graduation because she wanted to wear her tribal regalia to the ceremony.  This reminded me of the “Girlhood” Smithsonian exhibit and how school dress code policies are targeted primarily towards girls.  Restricting the expression of young girls’ clothing, especially when it promotes their cultures, takes away their independence and identity.  Since then, Lulu has been instrumental in changing policies so that school graduation dress codes are more culturally inclusive first in her own school district and now state-wide.  Her advocacy and activism in academic institutions reminds us that representation does matter.  Follow her journey at the Mr. and Ms. Indigenous at ASU Facebook Page.

Work

Featured Indigenous female disrupting work barriers: Kamia Begay (Diné) of Nizhoni Soaps

Kamia Begay. Photo by Nizhoni Soaps.

Currently 13 years old, Kamia is, to our knowledge, the youngest Native girl soap boss to own three brick and mortar stores spanning across the Arizona and New Mexico state lines.  I first met Kamia at the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of AZ holiday luncheon.  I remember her thanking me and the other entrepreneurs for being women she could look up to as Native women business owners.  I am proud of her because she had the courage to open up her brick and mortar stores during the pandemic.  Her story touched a special place in my heart, too, because she’s on this business journey with her mom.  You can purchase Kamia’s skincare online at www.nizhonisoaps.com or at her three stores located in Farmington, NM; Albuquerque, NM, and Mesa, AZ.

Health

Featured Indigenous female disrupting health barrier: Sareya Taylor (White Mountain Apache and Diné)

Sareya Taylor.

Sareya was the Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of Phoenix.  I had the privilege of hearing her read some of her original pieces at the Heard Museum. Sareya’s warrior spirit came through as her poetic flow painted images of urban Native experiences with pride.  I am inspired by Sareya’s activism and how she uses her words to bring light to silent issues that impact our communities like mental health. 

News + Politics

Featured Indigenous female disrupting news + politics barriers: Alyssa London (Tlingit) 

Alyssa London. Photo by Tinhorn Consulting.

I first learned about Alyssa on social media as she was the first Alaskan Native to win the Miss Alaska Pageant.  She was an interesting combo of Standford grad, former Microsoft employee, and Culture Story business owner.  In other words, someone I’d like my little girl to know of as a fellow bi-racial Indigenous female breaking cycles.  Call it “like attracting like” as I had the pleasure of getting to know Alyssa when she interviewed me at the Reservation Economic Summit and later cheering her on in person as she competed for the Miss USA Pageant in Las Vegas, NV.  She stunned the audience in a beautiful red Tlingit designed gown during the evening gown competition.  Alyssa would later replicate the full sized dress for Barbies which she gifted to my Zoey.  Her children’s book “Journey of the Freckled Indian: A Tlingit Culture Story” resonates with my daughter and I as we are also biracial.  Her work reminds us how important representation is, especially for young Native girls.   You can listen to Alyssa on Native America Calling and catch her as an FNX TV show host. 

Fashion

Featured Indigenous female disrupting fashion barriers: Valentina Aragon (Diné) of ACONAV

Valentina Aragon. Photo by Dotlizhi.

The blended identities and cultures of Valentina and her husband Loren (Acoma Pueblo) make ACONAV what it is.  Their high-end Indigenous fashion has been recognized and featured across Indian country and beyond.  ACONAV has walked the Phoenix Fashion Week, won Phoenix Fashion Designer of the Year, and a custom design has even been commissioned by Disney!  “Evoking the Empowerment” of women is a conscious choice which has ripple effects into our next generations.  I’m also impressed by the notion of working with your partner and mother-in-law.  The success they’ve achieved is a testament to the importance of healthy relationships and kinship.

“American citizenship is not always desired.  As members of sovereign, independent nations, American Indian families raised girls to pass on their languages, values, and traditions.  In response, U.S. educators physically removed girls and boys from their homes and communities.  These educators wanted to erase Indian cultures.  And, yet again, the key target was girls because Anglo educators also believed girls would raise the next generation.”

This topic made me pause and give thanks and appreciate all the grandmothers who came before us to fight for saf(er) spaces in education, work, wellness, politics, and fashion.  We have a ways to go, but it continues with young women like this and sharing their stories.  As a mother, that’s our responsibility, just like my mother did for me.  We all came from a woman and must have respect for women.  No matter your gender, the way we treat and support Native women impacts our present and future as we raise the next generation.  

Inspired to take action towards wage equality?

• Buy Native
• Promote Indigenous Women in the Workforce
• See something, say something
• Mentor
• Listen
• Share this blog

Sources:

Smithsonian “Girlhood: It’s Complicated” Exhibit
https://www.si.edu/exhibitions/girlhood-its-complicated-event-exhib-6376
https://piper.asu.edu/nea-big-read/partners/lourdes-pereira
https://www.nizhonisoaps.com
https://youtu.be/MckpT3mnVGY
https://alyssalondon.com
https://youtu.be/FNo0Rmzpdko
https://www.aconav.com

• Start your day by saying “Please.”

• Next, say out loud three (3) things that you are grateful for

• Keep a daily gratitude journal or add an AM and PM gratitude check-in to your daily planner

• Check if you’re in H.A.L.T. (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) and take care of those needs STAT.

• Be kind in thoughts and actions to yourself and others.

• End your day by saying “Thank you.”

This month, TINHORN is celebrating gratitude. For our Indigenous heritage and for our freedoms. On my mind today more than anything is our freedom of choice. Growing up on the Hualapai reservation, I saw myself as a member of my community and as a Native American. It wasn’t until I worked on an Air Force base in Germany as a civilian computer scientist that I realized there were so many freedoms at home that I took for granted. Don’t get me wrong, our nation is far from perfect. But that’s the beautiful thing about it: we have choices and can use our voice through community action, social media dialogue, and voting to make things better for Native people and “something other(s)” who are often forgotten.

The best way to stay grounded is by practicing intentional gratitude.  Whether you prefer meditation, journaling, or community service, staying grateful is key to sustaining oneself through uncertain times.  No matter the outcome of the elections or world events, let’s make an intentional choice to stay grateful.  Let’s show gratitude for the strength of our ancestors and live a life of gratitude as we make the future a better place for the next generation.

It all begins with listening.

What are the client’s intentions?
What is the benefit or value to client and target audience? Will it make a difference?
How can Tinhorn Consulting help remove obstacles that may hindering the client from accomplishing their goal(s)?

Helping others expand their outreach to benefit Indian Country is a significant part of Tinhorn Consulting’s portfolio. When Tinhorn Consulting works with you, we can provide in-roads into tribal communities to get to the right audience; we’ll maximize opportunities to elevate your outreach efforts; and, utilize long-established relationships to reach a broader base of participants.

For example, over three years ago the Manager of Project DreamCatcher, a new entrepreneurial training program for Native women, approached me as the program needed help to attract eligible applicants to meet enrollment goals. The program was developed and launched by the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, in partnership with Thunderbird for Good (Thunderbird School of Management), to offer free business training to Native women entrepreneurs from four specific tribes — Hualapai, San Carlos Apache, Tohono O’odham and White Mountain Apache — as a way to invest back into the communities.

For Project DreamCatcher, it boiled down to basics — establishing trust. And those who work in Indian Country know trust is critical. We built trust with in-person outreach activities in each tribal community; I utilized my existing relationships to spread the word and encouraged the Native women entrepreneurs I knew to apply; and, Tinhorn Consulting created the branding and social media community management.

I’m happy to say for that first year, the program met its enrollment goals and retained Tinhorn Consulting’s services going forward. 32 Native women in two cohorts have benefitted from this program, including myself, and with encouragement to expand its impact, the 2019 program is now accessible to business women from the Navajo Nation.

Does your business believe in triple wins? Contact Tinhorn Consulting to set up your 15-minute consultation to explore your outreach needs.

Everyday I encounter Native women transcending gender inequalities.  By shattering the glass ceiling, they are introducing my daughter to a world of possibilities.

She could be an international award-winning architect like Wanda Dalla Costa of Redquill Architecture from the First Nations in Canada.

Or an economic empowerment thought leader like Vanessa Roanhorse of Roanhorse Consulting from the Navajo Nation.

These Native women ARE putting their own stamp in the world and making a difference for indigenous communities, which is a shared vision with Tinhorn Consulting, LLC.

From the local to national to international, in 2018 Tinhorn Consulting LLL was called upon to:

• Open doors for Native political candidates. By working with 7Gen Leaders, Tinhorn Consulting helped with brand identify and marketing collateral for the launch of this new organization that helps elect leaders that are making decisions that will have positive impacts on generations to come.

• Invest in Native Business women owners and entrepreneurs. Tinhorn Consulting LLC is at the forefront of initiatives like Project Dreamcatcher that offers free business training to Native women business owners; Tinhorn Consulting participated in an inaugural business summit of Native women business owners and leaders; and, collaborated with Cherylee Francis of Native Women Entrepreneurs of Arizona to present at a global trade summit in Mongolia, opening doors for Native businesses at an international level.
• Support the next generation of Native business leaders.  Tinhorn Consulting proudly participated in educational events for UNITY, Arizona State University and others to encourage students interested in business and entrepreneurialism, providing helpful tips and experiences unique to Indian Country.
• Improve business leadership and management for tribal organizations. Organizations such as the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona’s Good Health and Wellness In Indian Country and the United Southern and Eastern Tribes (USET) sought Tinhorn Consulting’s training and facilitation expertise to address barriers impacting progress and communication.
• Make connections to and within Indian Country to address disparities. Tinhorn Consulting worked with the Arizona Community Foundation and tribal non-profit leaders to discuss strategies to increase participation of tribal communities in philanthropy; and, assisted Care1st to improve outreach and understanding of disparate health care needs and access in Indian Country.

2018 has been called the Year of the Woman; the same is true for Native women. This is my daughter’s world and I tell her everyday to do whatever makes her heart sing. With the positive Native role models around her, she and Native women everywhere ARE and WILL lead in political leadership, business, science and more.

First, I honor the teachings of my mother, Barbara Tinhorn. She raised me as a single mother for most of my life and has been a constant source of strength. Growing up, she would tell me to always give 110 percent, no matter what I was doing. She taught what she knew from her own life, often working in job situations as the only woman in a world of men. From the fast food industry to a forestry crew to a long career as an elementary teacher on the Hualapai rez, she walked her talk.

My mother would say, “be your work” as your work ethic would define how others would view you. I also learned from my mother to stand up for your beliefs. As a school teacher, she always looked out for her students, whom she considered to be her family and cared for them as such. She would tell the students, as she would tell me, to use our voice to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.

She was honest and frank with me about the difficulties of starting a business and the time it would take to become profitable. Fortunately, given my inherited resilience, she now tells me the seeds are blossoming.

As I was growing up, my mother could be strong-willed but she was also sensitive, wearing her heart on her sleeve. I often call my own daughter my little “cub,” an affectionate term that always reminds me how fiercely my own mother cared for her family and students.

I am grateful for my mother and thankful for the blessings of motherhood. When I first started my business more than 7 years ago, I was single and singular-minded. Now, with a 6 year old daughter, my worldview has changed dramatically, like Dorothy transitioning from black and white Kansas to vibrant technicolor Oz. As a mother, I am now the protector and the teacher.

More than anything, I’ve learned that I don’t have a free pass anymore. I can’t wallow because I have to always be present for my daughter. She is a mirror and what I do reflects through her. I want my daughter to be joyous and strong, imbued with the teachings I learned from my own mother. Every day I tell Zoey to be courageous and always do what makes her heart sing.

I’ve come to learn that my clients respond to the same approach. When I’m facilitating or training a session, I open up my heart and energy to my clients. I always say a prayer to help me help them.

Today I honor the teachings of my mother and pray to always be a positive force for my own daughter.  Honor your mother today and honor yourself for everything you do to support your families every day.

Happy Mother’s Day!

It’s a fitting question as we come to the end of the 2018 National Small Business Week that began April 29th and ends May 5th.

Recent economic analyses indicate that women’s entrepreneurship is on the rise.* Native American/Alaska Native women-owned businesses are a significant part of this unrecognized economic engine. Over a 20-year period, Native women-owned business grew at substantial rates and contributed billions in revenues (see sidebar).

Other economic data suggests women are also more likely to invest their incomes back into their homes and communities, despite lower wages. It’s estimated that women reinvest 90 percent of their incomes in their families/communities, as compared to 30-40 percent for men. Also, while women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, the earn only 10 percent of world’s income (https://dreambuilder.org). In 2017, two-thirds of Native women were family bread winners, yet only earned 57 cents compared to $1 for white non-Hispanic men (http://nativewomenlead.org).

This is important and compelling information for all tribal communities, as business promoters and consumers. Even as entrepreneurship is growing, we can do more to achieve parity and help our communities address social ills. Whether you support the breakfast burrito lady, buy traditional clothing made by your sister or grandmother, or contract the woman-owned engineering firm, you have the power. Invest in Native women-owned businesses and they will invest back in you, our families/communities and the economy.

Key Trends about Native Women-owned Business (1997-2017):*

• Women engaged in entrepreneurship grew at an extraordinary rate of 114 percent over 20 years; that rate is more than four times higher – 467 percent – for women of color.
• Native women-owned businesses grew at a rate of 201 percent.
• Native American/Alaska Native women created 15 new business firms per day.
• As of 2017, Native women owned firms account for 1.4 percent of all women-owned businesses; an estimated 161,500 firms and employing more than 61,000 workers.
• As of 2017, Native women-owned firms generated an average of nearly $690,000 per firm and an overall $11 billion in revenues.

*Source: “The 2017 State of Women-owned Business Report.” Commissioned by American Express. Http://about.americanexpress.com/news/docs/2017-State-of-Women-Owned-Businesses-Report.pdf.

About Tinhorn Consulting, LLC:

Tinhorn Consulting, LLC is a full-service integrated marketing and communications firm specializing in telling clients’ stories in the most powerful way that has a lasting and far-reaching impact. Tinhorn Consulting, LLC works with clients from a variety of industry sectors, including health, government, education, nonprofit and business. Tinhorn Consulting LLC is a 100% Native American woman-owned business. For additional information, contact info@tinhorn-consulting.com.

I had an opportunity a couple of weeks ago as an invited business panelist at the “ASU RECHARGE
Conference” for Native youth. ASU hosts this annual conference to engage and empower Native mid- and
high school students to “take charge of their education and invest in their future and community.”

These are the types of sessions I most enjoy, when young Native students are motivated and engaged to
learn about becoming entrepreneurs and seeking their own footprint in this fast-changing business world.
While the session did focus on important tips and lessons learned for these up-n- comers, I was amazed to
learn how some of these students are already steps ahead in the game.

From t-shirt designer and Native music promoter to a 12-year old martial arts trainer, these students already
know a thing or two about taking risks and stepping up. Not only are they turning their skills into a business
trade, they are invested in our tribal communities.

One aspiring teen fashion designer learned to sew from his grandmother; made traditional clothing; and
started designing contemporary dresses. Because he aspired to attend the National UNITY conference, he
utilized his designing skills to raise funds. Not only did he succeed, his ambition was noticed and his tribe
stepped forward to help fund his trip. This year, this same student is developing a scholarship to help
another student in need attend the National UNITY conference.

I’m proud of these young Native entrepreneurs and impressed with their ingenuity. I want to encourage them
and others taking that first step, there is always room to grow and expand your knowledge. Because these
students wanted to know how to take their business ideas to the next level and get help where needed, I
wanted to share some business tips that I have learned as a business owner.

• Start with your passion: Once you identify your service/product, do your research. Is it
  a marketable product/service? Yes? Start your business. No? Enjoy your hobby.
• Seek mentorship and support: Look for resources and peers in the same field. There
  are mentors willing to help and funders interested in your ideas. Find them. Ask the
  person who is where you want to be to become your mentor.
• Respect yourself and others: You are your brand. Especially in Indian Country where
  we are all connected, be intentional in everything you do (i.e. social media, marketing,
  etc).
• Promote yourself: You are always marketing yourself, whether you know it or not. Be
  positive.
• Give back: Just as you needed help, there are others like you needing advice and
  support.

Often in my business, I challenge my peers and clients to be open-minded, to think outside the box to
approach and solve problems. This time, these young Native entrepreneurs challenged me to change my
own thinking of the state of entrepreneurship in Indian Country. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive among the
young Native generation and they are out there, showing up and doing it.