67+ Indigenous-owned brands that should be on your radar

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Plus, I talked to dozens of Indigenous business owners about their biggest challenges and what their heritage means to them.

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Mya Beaudry is 15 years old and already six years into owning her business, Kokom Scrunchies. Beaudry is Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, an identity she says is a big part of who she is and “at the heart of Kokom Scrunchies.”

Beaudry’s mother, Marcie, taught her to sew at nine years old as a creative way to raise money and host Indigenous youth events in her community. She began making scrunchies from fabric inspired by the floral scarves commonly worn by kokoms, which means “grandmother” in Algonquin, says Beaudry.

Indigenous peoples speak more than 4,000 of the world’s approximately 6,700 languages, but the United Nations estimates that one Indigenous language dies every two weeks. Many of the Indigenous business owners I spoke to say languages are central to Indigenous peoples’ identities, cultures and worldviews, and several on this list incorporate their cultures, traditions and communities into their work.

Like Beaudry, many Indigenous business owners on this list draw inspiration from their Indigenous identities and traditions. In the United States, November is Native American Heritage Month, but you can support Indigenous-owned businesses year-round. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, there were more than 400,000 Indigenous-owned businesses in the U.S. alone in 2021.

I talked with more than 60 business owners about their Indigenous identity, biggest challenges and the inspiration behind their brands, and compiled a list of Indigenous-owned brands spanning the United States, Canada, Australia and Latin America that we think you should know about. For its business statistics, the Census Bureau defines ownership as having at least 51% of the stock or equity in a business, and its racial ownership categories include American Indian or Alaska Native businesses.

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