ƛ̓áqvas gḷ́w̓aqs / Copper Canoe Woman
VINA BROWN
Haíłzaqv and Nuučaan̓uɫ
Mother. Beader. Weaver. Scholar.
Yáu I’m Vina Brown, owner and artist at Copper Canoe Woman Creations.
My ancestral Haíłzaqvḷa name is ƛ̓áqvas gḷ́w̓aqs, which roughly translates to Copper Canoe Woman.
I create modern, on-trend, Indigenous jewelry that’s infused with elements of my coastal Indigenous culture and identity. I design pieces I want to wear, big statement pieces with a deep connection to ancestral strength and elegance.
I’m inspired by the natural realm, living in the present time, and constantly choosing every day to honor the Earth. Always, I am also inspired by my family and from within my culture. I come from weavers and beaders, through both my Haíłzaqv and Nuučaan̓uł families. We have a history of loving beauty and wearing our culture on ourselves that stretches beyond linear timelines.
“I remember watching my Granny Elsie weave for hours. She would sit in her rocking chair with sports on the radio or television. We would be playing on the floor beside her. I remember feeling at ease, at peace, and very content in those moments. I did not know it at the time but she was transferring knowledge, an experience with me. This is how we learned traditionally: by observing. Oftentimes, she would give me strips of cedar to weave with and make mats. These are some of the best memories of my childhood.”
Through art I’ve become connected to my roots in ways I never imagined. This journey has been an unraveling, a reclamation of Indigenous womanhood and of creation. I am grateful for my identity, my culture, that I carry in this physical realm, and I am grateful for you. Without your support it would be so much harder to be vulnerable and share parts of my soul I’d otherwise keep hidden. I am grateful to be my true self with you. All work comes from kind intentions and hopefully my most authentic self.
I hope you are good, I hope you are taken care of, sending you light and love.
Tkleco, Tkleco.