Elsie Canadien, from Hay River, has been beading since she was nine years old. Today, she is an accomplished artist who was selected to sell her work with Manitobah Mukluks through the company’s Indigenous market platform.

Canadien was also chosen as July's Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley artist of the month for her beaded currant berry earrings.

Elsie Canadien. Photo: NWT Arts

"On a nature walk, I came across currant berries that I hadn't seen for a long, long time. I remember my mom making jam and pie with currants, and that's what inspired to me to bead that," she told Cabin Radio.

"I learned my beadwork from my mom. I watched her do her tufting, beading, quill work. I kept bugging my mom, ‘I want to try, I want to try.’ 

"My inspiration was my mom and nature. My beadwork mostly comes from nature. I spend a lot of time at my cabin and I take photos of flowers and leaves, and that's when I see what I'm going to make, my vision."

When she’s not beading, Canadien enjoys teaching, saying it’s important to give back and pass on knowledge.

Watching her mother bead, her hand movements appeared "like magic." Canadien tries to recapture that spirit while introducing younger people to skills like tufting.

A beaded braclet by Elsie Canadien. Photo: NWT Arts

"I love to share my work with people. I do a lot of workshops with people," Canadien said.

"If anything were to happen to me, my knowledge would die with me, so I like to share my knowledge with the younger people that I see want to learn."

Fish earrings by Elsie Canadien. Photo: Submitted

For the past decade she has worked with Manitobah Mukluks, sending items that appear at the company's pop-up shops across the country.

That partnership arose after she posted some of her work on a Manitobah Mukluks Facebook page.

"I forgot all about it and then I got a message from Manitobah Mukluks. They wanted to have a chat with me about my beadwork," she recalled.

"I accepted their invitation and had a talk with them and it started from there. It's a really good partnership, 100 percent of proceeds go to the artist."

A beaded necklace and earring set. Photo: Submitted

Nothing beats the feeling for Canadien when someone takes her work home with them.

"It feels good that my work has found a forever home," she said.

"It makes me feel good that they appreciate the work I do and value my talents."

You can find her work on the Manitobah Mukluks website and on Instagram at @naetsenelu.

The Land and Water Boards of the Mackenzie Valley have launched a year-long Indigenous flower beading series that celebrate and promote northern Indigenous beadwork.