Shops We Love: Indigo Arrows Honors Indigenous Ancestry & Heritage

Textile designer and maker Destiny Seymour worked as an interior designer with Prairie Architects in Winnipeg for 10 years.

While she had many Indigenous clients, Destiny, who is Anishinaabe, found it challenging to find any fabrics by Indigenous people from the Prairies. This was in the back of her mind when she visited the Manitoba Museum and saw ceramics and tools etched with beautiful geometric graphics — some thousands of years old — made by Indigenous people from Manitoba. “It struck me how these amazing patterns only existed on museum shelves,” says Destiny. “I wanted to revive them.” Under her Indigo Arrows brand, minimalist motifs inspired by these patterns now adorn linen tea towels, napkins, table runners and throw pillows, all of which are handmade in Winnipeg. Destiny names her patterns in her ancestral language, Anishinaabemowin, as a way to share her culture. “I have non-Indigenous or non-Anishinaabe people order Ishkoday pillows — that’s a word for flint rock — and ask, ‘What does it mean?’ ‘Am I saying it right?’ It’s a great form of teaching.”

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The Bezhig pattern of circles and lines is inspired by a 400-year-old elk antler scraper tool. “The patterns I use are directly from my ancestors,” says Destiny. “I’m proud to bring that history out of the museum because Indigenous culture is not dead. We’re alive now.”

Indigo Arrows

Grandmother Moon Linen Mini Quilt in Bezhig/Pink, $364, indigoarrows.ca

With a plush pink velvet on the back and the Bezhig pattern on the front, this throw pillow can be displayed both ways. Think of it as two pillows in one!

Indigo Arrows

Bezhig Throw Pillow in White Linen and Blush Velvet, $109, at Indigo Arrows

Elevate your dining table with this colorful linen runner. It’ll instantly make your charcuterie board (or any scrumptious spread) pop.

Indigo Arrows

Bezhig Linen Table Runner in Red Earth, $75, at Indigo Arrow

Take your tablescape up a notch with matching napkins. How stylish do they look with a gold napkin ring?

Indigo Arrows

Bezhig Linen Napkins in Red Earth, $68/set of 4, indigoarrows.ca