Description
Kookum’s Beadwork – Sterling Silver Earrings
Honouring the Matriarch | Flower Design
These earrings are titled Kookum’s Bead work — the word kookum meaning grandmother in the Cree language. This piece was created to honour Lady of the Thunderbirds, my late grandmother, who was not only a master beadworker and leather artist, but also a respected elder, storyteller, and teacher to generations of youth.
She taught children how to make moccasins and do bead work, always sharing stories that carried the strength and teachings of our people. Her resilience was legendary — she survived nine days and nine nights walking through the wilderness, an experience documented in detail. That journey, however, was later exploited and misrepresented by the Canadian author Farley Mowat, who used our family’s sacred stories without consent. That trauma made this tribute even more important — to reclaim her memory with love and honour.
The flower design is inspired by her bead work patterns — gentle, powerful, and rooted in Mother Earth. I wasn’t able to fit Kookum’s Bead work on the piece, so the back is simply inscribed with the word “Beadwork”, alongside my artist signature and the .925 sterling silver hallmark.
Each earring is cast in sterling silver using the lost wax casting method and measures 1¾ inches by ⅜ inch. They’re fitted with heavy-gauge sterling silver hooks, built to last and to honour the strength of the woman they’re dedicated to.
These earrings are a tribute to the matriarchs — the ones who carried us, guided us, and passed down the wisdom that lives in our hands and hearts.
Each pair comes in a gift box, ready to be gifted in memory, in ceremony, or in honour of your own kookum.