This First Person piece is by Tenille Campbell, a Dene/Métis artist from English River First Nation in Saskatchewan. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.
I was sitting with my cousin Tara around her kitchen island, watching as she cleaned up around me, during a winter day. I was trying to thread a needle — my eyes squinting, my hands shaking.
Once accomplished, I grinned at her and asked, somewhat sheepishly, “Do you ever feel, like, real sacred when you do beadwork?”
We stared at each other for a beat and then burst into loud, aunty-like laughter.
“I know exactly what you mean,” she
