“I started my beading journey of healing … as a way of reconnection to my culture, but also to really fully take pride in my identity,” says Raylinn Parenteau. She is from Delaware Nation, south of London, Ontario. She is a member of Turtle Clan and grew up in the area but disconnected from her community. She is an artist, educator and mentor.

Parenteau started her beading journey at Trent University. “I found I had a knack for it, I knew I could put the beads together and create something,” she recalls.  She built a community of beaders who wanted to learn and collaborate as friends and artists.

When Parenteau was at Trent, she was studying Indigenous Education, graduating to register as an Indigenous teacher at the high school level. Her current focus is on developing herself as an artist but she sees how her beading can be a pathway to opening minds to receive lessons in the classroom, just like her program taught her to create learning opportunities. “It's also a lot about bringing my own identity and who I am into the work as well, and I think a lot of students appreciate that,” she beams.

Her advice for students leaving their home communities to pursue post secondary education is based on her own experience of moving away. “It will be difficult. It can be lonely at times. This was an opportunity for me to open up my mind, and honestly, I have learned so much more than I ever would have from just staying in one location. I've made so many friendships and connections up in this area, that they have me for life now up here, but it is very important, and it does get heavy on the heart when you are disconnected from family and those fundamental relationships in life,” she shares.

To keep her mental health in check, Parenteau goes back to the medicine wheel teachings, looking at what she needs to focus on more each day to get back into balance. “Setting time for self care is really important, and I know I can say that, but in terms of doing, it is a lot more difficult,” she confides. Journaling, engaging in her artistic practice and being creative help her feel better. “Beading is healing, and a lot of the emotions and feelings and really my life stages I'm putting into every single artwork that I do,” she explains, noting that she has been told not to bead with negative energy or a heavy heart but for her, it is part of her healing journey.

Her first beading project was a university assignment. Parenteau made a medallion of the creation story of Sky Woman over the course of three months. It is the logo of Lenape Creations and the foundation of everything she’s done since. Looking back, she sees imperfections in it and she wants to redo it for her fifth year in business. That one assignment formed the basis of her business and her teaching practice, allowed her to take a leap of faith to try it out and see where it goes and also let her show her learning in a different way. She shared an important story, moved forward in her career and found joy in storytelling through her beadwork.

If Parenteau could share a message with her younger self it would be that she mattered and that she belonged, that her skin colour was beautiful and she could achieve great things in life. Growing up, she went to nine different elementary schools and two different high schools and she was always the only Indigenous person in the classroom, sometimes even the whole school. “I grew up feeling disconnected, feeling like I didn't belong,” she remembers, with experiences of bullying for her Indigeneity coming to mind.

“Once you find your people, and once you really accept yourself, have that self love for yourself, you can definitely go a long way.”

One project of particular significance Parenteau beaded was a retro TV mirror. She made it to symbolize Indigenous beauty given retro TV represented Indigeneity primarily through old Western movies and stereotypes. “This was made to represent that you don't have to look like that, you don't have to act like that, but you are still Indigenous and you can fully, fully own that identity,” she relays. She found healing and self-acceptance beading that piece.

“I didn't grow up in my community. I didn't grow up in culture. I grew up not loving myself.”

At one point, Parenteau was reluctant to wear beadwork but now she says, “I find just being proudly, visibly Indigenous has truly just altered my life and way of thinking, because I am just truly so proud of who I am. While she grew up disconnected from community, she loves the community she’s found along the powwow trail, her ability to give back and the songs and dancing she enjoys along the way.

Parenteau shares her beadwork on Instagram and Facebook and she recently released her official website.

She started her journey of healing through beadwork as a way to reconnect with her culture and made a business and a life out of what she brought together. An educator by training, Raylinn Parenteau’s learned so much along the way and she’s found a path to connect with learners through her artistry. While she didn’t love herself growing up, she’s beaded her way to self-acceptance and love.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.