My name is Breanna Deis and I am a Two Spirit Dene artist based in so called Vancouver, BC, the unceded land of the Squamish, Stolo, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations. My mother is Ulkatcho Dene, from northern BC and my father is German-Canadian.
I grew up away from my community and felt very disconnected with my culture, and never felt "native-enough" until I realized I felt something missing in my life and began my reconnecting journey in university.
Beadwork has been the key piece that made me feel connected and secure in my indigeneity.
I started beading in the beginning of 2020 as a hobby and since it has become a life-changing passion of mine and helped me reconnect to my community. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, I am able to pursue my passion full time and fulfill my dreams as an artist.
When I’m creating beadwork I make pieces that I love. often inspired by art or nature, incorporating traditional techniques with contemporary aesthetic. I feel that creating work that reflects modern indigeneity is so important to reminding the rest of the world that indigenous people are still here and our art can be found in more places than history museums. I also hope that wearing my work also brings people joy and pride by showing off how beautiful native culture is.
One of my favourite artists Raven John said, anything I create is indigenous art, because I am indigenous, it doesn't have to fit into what the conventional idea what native art is.
Another important part of my passion for beadwork is sharing my knowledge with others through beading tutorials on TikTok and Youtube. As a self-taught artist, especially during the pandemic, finding resources can be very difficult, so I make these tutorials to help others reconnect and learn new skills. The online native community has been my rock and I hope that I can foster similar community through these tutorials. I invite anyone who wants to learn to check out my videos and feel free ask me questions.