Beading for Awareness: LCS Students Learn, Reflect, and Connect

 

“Who would have thought that a beaded red dress pin might take 7 hours to complete? Might you look at a beaded piece of art with an entirely different appreciation? Might you look at any piece that was hand-stitched entirely differently?” LCS Teacher Lorraine Brown

On January 16 and 20, students in our Grade 12 Equity & Social Justice class and the DEI Club had the privilege of welcoming Indigenous artist and knowledge keeper Dominique O’Bonzawin (@cedarlilie.beads) to lead two beading workshops. These sessions, supported by teachers Ms.Brown and Ms.Boomgaardt, introduced students to beading as both a traditional art form and a space for community connection, storytelling, and healing.

The workshops centered on creating red dress pins—symbols of awareness and solidarity for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW). Dominique shared stories about the impact of residential schools on the loss of cultural practices like beading and the strength of Indigenous communities in reclaiming these traditions. In preparation for the workshops, the DEI student group explored the MMIW crisis, while Equity students engaged in readings about the cultural and political importance of beading circles.

During the workshops, students experienced firsthand the calming, meditative quality of beading, fostering reflection and dialogue about cultural identity and activism. Dominique’s personal story, her journey to rediscovering and sharing beading with her community, inspired our students and staff to think critically about art as resistance.

Ms. Brown described her experience in the following way:

“American writer and activist, Alice Walker, said, ‘When our hands are busy our minds are free.’ When she shared this insight, she was specifically referencing the art of quilting. When people would gather to quilt, they would open up to one another, share stories and stitch the stories of their families, legacies and experiences into their quilts. When we learned the art of beading from Dominique I saw this very concept in action with my class. We spent three class periods learning how to bead. During that time, our hands were busy and our minds were free to make connections not only to the stories that Dominique shared with us, but also with one another. With each small stitch strung with four tiny glass beads at a time, we asked questions such as:  

“Addressing Red Dress Day and its significance is an important and crucial inclusion within the Equity and Social Justice course and the DEI Student Club. The way in to Red Dress Day, through the act of beading a red dress pin, was a way to learn a distinct form of protest and activism: to protest through art, to deepen our awareness of the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and to actively show our support by learning this beautiful art form of beading and then to wear the pins, stitched with our intention to be part of the change we wish to see in this world.” 

Through Dominique’s guidance, students not only gained technical skills but also a profound understanding of the cultural and social significance of beading. As they prepare to wear their red dress pins on May 5 for the National Day of Awareness for MMIW, students carry forward the lessons of solidarity, storytelling, and resistance they learned in the beading circle. This experience left an indelible mark on their understanding of Indigenous traditions and the power of art as activism.

About Dominique O’Bonsawin
Dominique O’Bonsawin is an Abenaki/French Canadian artist, educator, and entrepreneur originally from Sudbury, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Indigenous Studies from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Arts in Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies, and a Bachelor of Education from Trent University.

Dominique discovered her passion for beadwork in 2015 during her undergraduate studies, and it quickly became a cornerstone of her reconnection journey. Since then, she has facilitated numerous beadwork workshops, showcased her art at local events, incorporated beading into her teaching, and founded Cedarlilie Beads (@cedarlilie.beads).