Craftship/Kinship

Craft practice plays an integral role in translating and disseminating Indigenous knowledge between the past, present and future. Stories, teachings and worldviews are embodied within material objects, adornment styles and innovative techniques that give us an understanding of our world(s) and the individual and collective responsibilities we have to various kinship relations (both human and more-than-human). Through critical dialogue and conversation, this panel challenges normative Western perspectives of craft by looking toward historical and contemporary examples of Indigenous craft practice that offer alternative ways of thinking about craft as it relates to community, family, and kinship, alongside Indigenous notions of gender identity and gender roles.