Traditional regalia for the powwow trail

Couchiching’s Raven Linklater enjoys making traditional regalia items for people on the powwow trail.
“I do a lot of sewing and regalia work,” Linklater said. “I like to do the regalia and the moccasins and the beadwork by custom order. That way my customers get exactly what they are looking for. We can work together to create it.”
Linklater began creating the regalia items, a variety of jewelry, including necklaces and beadwork, and a variety of leatherwork about one-and-a-half years ago after leaving a career in banking.
“I wasn’t really happy with my life — I had money and I had comforts but I wasn’t being fulfilled,” Linklater said. “I started hitting the powwow trail and then I started doing regalia work, and it was more fulfilling than anything I had ever done in the business world.”
Linklater’s first piece of regalia work was a fancy shawl outfit with beaded moccasins and accessories.
“Once I took some time for myself, I was able to create things and I was able to see things in my mind how I wanted the outfit and the regalia to look,” Linklater said. “I had a lot of people around me who had always done this type of work, and they were there for me and helped teach me.”
Linklater also passes on the knowledge she learned from others, such as using smaller beads to create finer details in the design, through workshops on beadwork and sewing.
“I’ve done a few one-on-one individual teachings and I go into different organizations and do workshops there,” Linklater said. “I really enjoy sharing this work. It’s not quite as much money as when I was in the banking world, but it’s more satisfying in other ways.”