{"id":132,"date":"2025-12-15T14:00:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/indigenous-culture-preservation\/?page_id=132"},"modified":"2025-12-19T18:36:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T18:36:41","slug":"art-and-tradition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/indigenous-culture-preservation\/art-and-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Art & Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mash\u00adpee Wampanoag artist Bri\u00adan\u00adna Tobey has been mak\u00ading jew\u00adel\u00adry since she was 10 years old. On a Tues\u00adday in late Sep\u00adtem\u00adber 2025, Tobey stood behind her booth on Fair\u00adfield Way at the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut, which was cov\u00adered in mul\u00adti\u00adcol\u00adored bead\u00aded jew\u00adel\u00adry and wampum designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as an adult, Tobey brings her busi\u00adness, called Beltweaver<\/a>, to fairs and trib\u00adal events and sells her jew\u00adel\u00adry and crafts with the goal of keep\u00ading Indige\u00adnous tra\u00addi\u00adtions alive.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is impor\u00adtant to use nat\u00adur\u00adal mate\u00adri\u00adals, but I don\u2019t kill any\u00adthing. I use mate\u00adri\u00adals I find on the reser\u00adva\u00adtion and use ani\u00admal skin only if it is from an ani\u00admal that was hit on the side of the road,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tobey\u2019s work fea\u00adtures wampum, oys\u00adter shells, deer leather and duck feath\u00aders. Nat\u00adur\u00adal mate\u00adri\u00adals are impor\u00adtant to her, she said, because they help con\u00adnect her to the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on images to enlarge. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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