Metis Originals
Client
Personal
Category
Role
Brand Design,
Original Artwork
Creative Direction,
All Design Work
A very personal project to me, the Metis Originals was created to explore part of my heritage that I didn’t grow up in. I’m a registered member of the Little Shell tribe. We are one of 6 tribes that split from the original Ojibwe tribe. Metis is a French word meaning half European, half indigenous, and the Little Shell tribe was originally made up entirely of Metis people. This project features references to my tribe, the Hudson Bay Trading Company, the fur trapping industry, my experience growing up on a ranch, the idea of being “a Cowboy and an Indian,” my tribe’s art, and the fact that my tribe has no reservation. The overall graphic style was chosen to counter the often negative tone of Indigenous stereotypes. You can see this in my use of type, my illustration style, etc.