The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

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The Arts in Psychotherapy

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/artspsycho

Beading Native Twitter: Indigenous arts-based approaches to healing

and resurgence
Jeffrey Ansloos a, *, Ashley Caranto Morford b, Nicole Santos Dunn a, Lindsay DuPré d,
Riley Kucheran c
a
University of Toronto, Canada
b
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, USA
c
Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
d
University of Victoria, Canada

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Beading is a cultural art form that holds great significance for Indigenous communities. Across history, the
Beading practice of beading has been widely recognized by Indigenous peoples as a means of recording and translating
Indigenous arts cultural knowledge, and of promoting wellness across various contexts. While beading existed long before
Indigenous healing
Settler-European contact, its survival amidst Canada’s colonial history is profound. With the rise of social media
Culture and psychotherapy
platforms, Indigenous communities have taken up digital spaces such as Twitter to support cultural resurgence
and healing. Our study is interested in the everyday ways in which digital environments like Twitter may be
therapeutic. Conceptually situated within the interdisciplinary nexus of Indigenous studies, psychotherapeutic
studies, and contextualist qualitative research, we draw on an analysis of tweets and interviews from Indigenous
beaders within Canada. Using a thematic approach (Braun & Clark, 2006), our analysis yielded 12 themes that
speak to the relationship between, and possibilities and challenges related to, beading, Indigenous healing
processes, and digital space. A discussion is provided on the benefits of the digital space for therapeutic healing,
its limitations, tensions, and the colonial legacies that become re-enacted in digital spaces. Strengths and limi­
tations of the study are also discussed.

Beading #NativeTwitter: Indigenous arts-based approaches to only to protect Indigenous people’s rights and knowledges, but also to
healing and resurgence ensure that the therapeutic aspects of beading remain framed by
Indigenous peoples, and that these healing traditions resist abstraction
Beading is a significant cultural art form for Indigenous commu­ and appropriation (Napoli, 2019).
nities. This practice records and translates cultural knowledge and There is growing understanding of arts-based healing approaches
promotes wellness as an intergenerational healing tradition (Belcourt, and Indigenous cultural traditions as valuable within therapeutic prac­
2010). While colonialism has led to cultural dislocation for Indigenous tice (Arslanebk et al., 2022; Gray, 2017; Kirmayer et al., 2003; Muirhead
peoples, including from creative practices like beading, Indigenous & De Leeuw, 2013; Whyte, 2018). While existing literature acknowl­
communities across Canada are working towards the protection, stew­ edges visual arts, it has only minimally taken up the practice of beading,
ardship, and resurgence of this healing tradition, including addressing especially from Indigenous perspectives. This poses a tension for those
beading resurgence within digital spaces. Internet-based technologies navigating the integration of arts within psychotherapeutic contexts to
are a growing and vital part of cultural resurgence practices for Indig­ ensure that Indigenous peoples and protocols are central to research and
enous peoples (Caranto Morford & Ansloos, 2021; Wemigwans, 2018). practice. Consideration must also be given to opportunities and chal­
Indigenous cultural resurgence is occurring amidst critical dialogue lenges of the Internet as a therapeutic space for Indigenous peoples.
around issues like intellectual property rights and protocols for sharing We consider the relationship between well-being, healing, and
Indigenous knowledges, especially within the landscape of digital Indigenous beading. We engage with the writings and insights of
technology, which can be exploitative. These debates are important, not Indigenous people who are doing cultural resurgence work online to

* Correspondence to: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, The University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5S1V6, Canada.
E-mail address: [email protected] (J. Ansloos).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101914
Received 9 July 2021; Received in revised form 20 April 2022; Accepted 23 April 2022
Available online 28 April 2022
0197-4556/Crown Copyright © 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

understand: the conceptual knowledge of beading as an Indigenous are rightly protective of how this artwork is created, traded, and sold,
healing tradition; the ethics of contextualizing this practice within the and many communities are seeking repatriations of these materials.
digital realm; and opportunities for digital cultural resurgence and
therapeutic healing. Beading as healing tradition and therapeutic practice

Literature review Indigenous scholars and community members recognize beading as a

cultural and spiritual tradition that is both an art form and a wellness or
Beading and Indigenous peoples in the Canadian context therapeutic practice (Belcourt, 2010). Through beading, Indigenous
community members can experience a holistic form of well-being
Beading is an intergenerational cultural practice for Indigenous grounded in collective and intergenerational histories, cultures, spiri­
peoples in Canada. Beading is adorned on clothing, everyday personal tualities, identities, dreams, and teachings. Beading is a “display of
items, and sacred items, and can express identity and cultural history. cultural resiliency” (Gray, 2017, p. 24) and its continued existence is life
The patterns and techniques used to create this artwork also indicate affirming. As Ruth Hopkins (Dakota/Lakota) articulates, “[W]e endured,
important meanings often unique to those who bead and/or wear it and carry-on traditions in our hearts, [once] passing them on in secret,
(Belcourt, 2010). Traditionally made from materials such as shells, and now openly, with pride (par. 5, 2020). This artwork asserts the
bones, quills, wood, and other natural materials, glass beads were later ”freedom to be proud of one’s Indigeneity” (Gray, 2017, p.27).
added with European contact. Beader Elvira Nowlin articulates that the process of beading enables
Settler colonial narratives harmfully portray the various distinct her to “feel closer to my ancestors” (qtd by Hopkins, par. 6); as such,
Indigenous nations, cultures, traditions, and materialities that exist beading is relation. It brings people into relationship with one another
throughout Canada in homogenizing ways (Champagne, 2015; Voya­ and with their own nation-specific lands, histories, identities, and
geur & Calliou, 2001). As beaders like Riley Kucheran (Biigtigong worldviews. The holistic healing offered through beading is made
Nishnaabeg) and Justine Woods (Métis) emphasize, it is integral to tangible by the profound act of gathering in a shared space, which occurs
recognize the diversity of Indigenous peoples, and, thus, of Indigenous through beading circles, and in the relationships that develop and are
beading practices (in RU PowWow, 2020, min. 4:01–4:14). Indigenous nourished in this act of gathering. Woods suggests that these “circles
beading traditions are distinct from nation to nation and from strengthen and deepen kinship ties amongst Indigenous people through
geographical place to geographical place. As well, these traditions have conversations that beaders have together as they bead in circle, which
emerged from and are tied to the materials of each specific territory. shape and become interwoven within the beadwork itself” (Woods in RU
Beading is deeply rooted in the land and historical relationships between PowWow, 2020, min. 15:14–15:34). As Woods says, “All the beaders in a
peoples on territories—this includes relationships between Indigenous circle are working together even when working on individual pieces;
nations and between Indigenous and European nations where trading since they are all within the circle and influencing one another’s pieces,
occurred for beads. Through the land-based histories and relationships this collective sharing is a process of community building” (RU
bound up in beading, this practice tells stories and is a process of sto­ PowWow, 2020, min. 15:14–15:34).
rytelling (Belcourt, 2010; IFWTO Panel, 2020). As such, beading carries Care is also accessed in beading through fostering relationships with
the stories of how cultures have adapted over time. Beaders1 in a 2020 other beaders and knowledge keepers in the learning and sharing pro­
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (IFWTO) beading circle on resurgent cess, and through the act of honoring and respecting these knowledges
practices showed that contemporary beading is rebuilding and passing and the craft itself. More specifically, beaders in the 2020 IFWTO
on of connections that colonization tried to eradicate (Larsson in RU beading circle discussed how beading helps to build connections with
PowWow, 2020, minute 49:33–49:40). Indigenous lands and communities in a multiplicity of ways, including in
Through colonization, which sought to eliminate Indigenous cultures the process of purchasing materials that have been sourced, hunted, and
and peoples, the practice of beading was prohibited alongside centuries gathered from the land by Indigenous community members; beaders
of violent family separations, the oppressive imposition of organized explain that, through this type of mindful, ethical, and sustainable
religion, and the atrocities of the residential school system (Gray, 2017; process, beading is a practice specifically of decolonial care and re­
Hopkins, 2020). Colonization threatened practices that surround sponsibility — one which provides nourishment not only for the self and
beading, including community engagement, storytelling, dreaming, the for one’s community, but for Indigenous lands (Larsson in RU PowWow,
intergenerational sharing of skills, and the transmission of esthetic 2020, min. 49:15–49:31). Hopkins (2020) succinctly states that, for
meaning. Despite these violent pursuits, beading continues to exist Indigenous people, “it’s healing” (par. 14). Twitter user @beada­
today and its survival amidst Canadian colonial history is evidence of the gainstfash has described beading as “‘medicine,’ that helped them work
resilience and adaptability of Indigenous cultural production, including through mental health issues and homelessness” (qtd by Hopkins, par.
for practices important to healing. Often, non-Indigenous people are 14). As such, beading is a form of therapeutic art (Gray, 2017; Kirmayer
interested in this artistry but uneducated about its history and all too et al., 2003).
often trivialize beading practices and profit off this tradition. It is not Art therapy is a therapeutic practice that combines aspects of psy­
uncommon to see faux Indigenous beading and sacred items like head­ chotherapy with art to facilitate healing through individual or group-
dresses inappropriately worn by settlers at music festivals and sports based creation (Ontario Art Therapy Association, 2014). Engagement
games, or for mainstream stores to sell faux beaded moccasins and faux facilitates the healing process by encouraging the creative expression of
beaded dreamcatchers to non-Indigenous buyers who do not understand feelings, thoughts, and memories through sensory engagement. Given
or appreciate the tradition (Keene, 2010a, 2010b, 2010c). The appro­ that arts-based practices are contextual, they also are closely connected
priation of Indigenous beading is an extension of colonization (De to storytelling and narrative practice. The actions at the heart of art
Loggans, 2017). It strips Indigenous beaders of their livelihoods and therapy move beyond conventional forms of psychotherapy to access
dismisses the long-standing traditions and meanings of the practice. experiences and ways of knowing that are difficult to verbalize. Art
Similarly, museums around the world have been extractive and therapy is a useful therapeutic approach with diverse populations,
benefited from the theft of important beading. Indigenous communities including children (McDonald, Holttum, & Drey, 2019), older adults
(Kates, 2008), and individuals with experiences of trauma (Lobban,
2014). While the therapeutic benefits of beading are recognized and
1
This beading circle featured Indigenous beaders Justine Woods, Adam understood within Indigenous communities, they are less understood
Garnett Jones, Jayme Campbell, Brit Ellis, Tania Larsson, Katie Longboat, and within psychotherapeutic research. For instance, while art therapy is
Theresa Stevenson. part of mainstream therapeutic settings — alongside other expressive

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

arts therapies — Indigenous beading as a culturally-situated therapeutic Methodology and methods

art has not been widely recognized within art therapy.
Conceptual framework
Digital spaces as therapeutic environments
Our study is situated within the interdisciplinary nexus of Indigenous
In considering beading as therapeutic within digital environments, studies, psychotherapeutic studies, and contextualist qualitative
we must consider what constitutes therapeutic space. Clinical thera­ research. Indigenous studies are interested in understanding the spati­
peutic spaces have traditionally been in-person environments where ality of Indigenous epistemologies and the material effects of place-
healthcare practitioners meet one-on-one with clients. These environ­ based Indigenous knowledges in ways that center self-determinism. An
ments offer physical spaces where privacy can be ensured. With the rise underlying assumption of this research is that beading is a place-based
of Internet technologies, digital environments are increasingly being Indigenous knowledge, and that freedom and healing from colonial
considered for therapeutic practice, especially considering the COVID- oppressions is meaningfully linked to this knowledge. Inquiries around
19 pandemic, which has seen a flurry of new research on online thera­ the psychotherapeutic potentials of beading ought not to occur with
pies. Examples of research on digital form prior to the pandemic include extractive aims or through extractive means, but, rather, in ways that
the uptick of web-based psychotherapy programs (Newman, Szkodny, nourish the decolonial possibilities of Indigenous knowledges for
Llera, & Przeworski, 2011), mobile applications that supplement clinical Indigenous peoples.
forms of therapy (Linardon, Cuijpers, Carlbring, Messer, & At the level of psychotherapeutic studies, we are disinterested in
Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, 2019), and text message services known as short validating beading as an intervention using the scientific method; this is
message services (SMS) (Whittaker et al., 2012). While these settings an epistemic and political position that privileges Indigenous ways of
offer one-on-one meeting spaces and privacy, they also offer accessi­ knowing. Our attention to the therapeutic nature of beading is to bring
bility in that clients are not required to geographically relocate for care. recognition to the dynamic work that Indigenous peoples are already
There is a growing field of literature confirming the efficacy of these engaged in, and to learn how to better support these efforts. As a con­
platforms as suitable treatment domains (Arnberg, Linton, Hultcrantz, textualist inquiry (Braun & Clarke, 2006), our study pays attention to
Heintz, & Jonsson, 2014). the therapeutic experiences and perspectives on beading from the sub­
We recognize equity issues regarding accessibility of online in­ jective positions of individual beaders within Indigenous Twitter spaces,
frastructures. Many Indigenous communities do not have reliable as reflected by tweets and interviews. Our study also attends to the
Internet access, for instance, and certain people, especially older gen­ socioecological dynamics in which digital activities and subjective
erations, may feel uncomfortable using digital technology. Nevertheless, meaning-making occur. We seek to understand the relationship between
many Indigenous people are using digital technologies, so it is important well-being, healing, and beading as a crucial Indigenous knowledge for
to contend with the possibilities and limitations of this engagement and Indigenous peoples. Given the socioecological context of our analysis,
with current digital infrastructures. What is neglected in current ethical considerations of contextualizing beading practices within the
research is the everyday ways in which digital environments may be digital, and the opportunities of the digital environment for cultural
therapeutic. Everyday practices online often include communal in­ resurgence and therapeutic healing, are central.
teractions through social media platforms. Although there is an
embodied reality that is difficult to reproduce in digital environments, Methods of archival engagement
social media sites create an opportunity for individuals to expand their
connection with people or groups they may otherwise not have access to. Our study draws on an analysis of tweets and interviews from the
A limited field of research exists on the ability of social media platforms #DecolonizingDigital archive from 2006 to 2020 (Caranto Morford &
to facilitate therapeutic qualities (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007; Ansloos, 2021). The tweets and interviews in the archive demonstrate
O’Reilly et al., 2019). Indigenous contributions in social media environments, in the areas of
Indigenous languages, artistic resurgence, and health information.
Digital Indigenous cultural resurgence Given the engagement of international users within Canadian origin
hashtag networks, and also the global nature of many hashtag networks,
Indigenous people are purposing social media spaces to support so­ there is some content included that is produced beyond the
cial movement and cultural resurgence (Caranto Morford & Ansloos, geo-catchment of Canada. The archive consists of 8820 tweets and 10
2021; Duarte, 2017) and this may have implications for therapeutic interview transcriptions with Indigenous Twitter users. The interviews
practice. Indigenous beaders are utilizing Twitter to share, celebrate, conducted were with Twitter users whose Twitter content was
and discuss beading traditions with other Indigenous beaders from all embedded within the archive and/or who voiced interest in being
over Canada and the world. As one example: through the hashtag interviewed for the archive. Interviews were semi-structured, and the
network #beadsoupchallenge, Métis artist @beadedchickadee sends a questions asked were related to their use of social media. The present
random assortment of leftover beads to fellow Indigenous beaders study draws on a collection from this archive, Beadwork and Cultural
throughout the world. Beaders are then invited to create artistic pieces Resurgence, which focuses on Indigenous beading in the Canadian
out of this assortment and share their creations with each other via the context. Through this study, we analyzed approximately 1900 Twitter
hashtag. As another example: The account @IndigenousBeads, started accounts, 9 account types, 35 hashtag networks, 57 keyword terms, and
by Métis artist Arlo Henry, features rotating Indigenous beaders as hosts. 3812 tweet samples.
Through the account, hosts hold discussions about beading practices and
traditions, and promote their beading. These are just some of the key Method of analysis
examples of how Indigenous beading traditions are flourishing on and
through Twitter. Research is needed to better understand the thera­ The analysis conducted for this study is informed by Braun and
peutic potential of Twitter. Special attention should be paid to the Clarke (2006) thematic method. The protocol for analysis includes a
therapeutic benefits as well as its challenges for Indigenous people. process of repeated reading. In this phase, we examined all tweets and
interviews to support familiarity with the tweets and interviews, and to
take note of emergent structures and conceptual issues related to our
objectives. We then developed a list of codes and coded each tweet
image-by-image and each interview line-by-line. To support continuity,
we used a consensus-based approach to reconciliation. Reconciliation

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

within coding is at its core an interpretive task, which, rather than Themes 11–12 consider the ethical tensions and power relations that
operating under the guise of increased validity, highlights the strengths arise at the intersections of beading and healing online.
of collective reading and the limits of individual interpretations. After
Theme 1. Socioemotional and Psychological Healing
reconciliation, codes were organized into themes. We developed de­
scriptions and discussion of these themes which are presented in this In our findings, beading is discussed by Indigenous peoples as a
study. As opposed from segmenting discussion of themes outside of the healing tradition which has importance for socioemotional wellbeing
results of our findings, integrating principles of close reading, we engage and psychological healing. For example, Chelsey Moon, an Anishinaabe
in reflexive analysis of the archival material, which brings the tweets beader, explains: “I also use [beading] as a mental health tool to help me
and interviews into direct dialog with Indigenous studies literature to with my mental health. It relieves me of depression so that’s a big reason
further ground our analysis in knowledge-based relationality. that I do it” (Personal Communication, 2020). Other beaders suggest
Throughout our analysis, we engaged in member-checking with Indig­ that their art has an affectively and somatically regulating effect. While
enous Twitter users who authored tweets to provide feedback on our there may be “relaxing” effects to many arts-based practices, we find it
interpretative process. notable, especially considering the history of colonial disenfranchise­
ment of Indigenous peoples from beading, that Indigenous beaders
Ethics and methods of representation frequently refer to beading as a means for coping with symptoms of
depression, anxiety, and trauma. As one tweet discusses, beadwork al­
This study was approved by our university research ethics boards. lows for healing in ways that are not trauma centered but is instead
Considerable attention was given to appropriate stewardship of public anchored in the everyday ways we experience connectedness. Here,
domain Indigenous social media materials found in the #Decol­ beading is not merely a remedy, it is also a source of psychological joy,
onizingDigital archive. Typically, privacy is regarded as the central fulfillment, and a practice for personal and communal meaning making,
ethical issue in social media related research, but as our study elucidates, which has mental health promoting value.
questions of consent, privacy, and intellectual property are the very
Theme 2. Communal and Collective Healing
tensions that are raised regarding the healing potentials of beading
within digital environments. The standard set by most social media re­ The findings of this study emphasize that online beading networks
searchers is to anonymize social media content, but anonymization is challenge colonial isolation and cultural disenfranchisement that many
easy to compromise digitally through various methods, and sometimes Indigenous people experience. As Fig. 1 illustrates, online beading net­
anonymization is a means of intellectual theft, a practice that has works foster collective sharing, inspiration, and cultural renewal across
particularly impacted Indigenous peoples. While all tweets included in Indigenous community environments. @IndigenousBeads is a rotating
our study are publicly available, this does not necessarily constitute account hosted by different Indigenous beaders. @IndigenousBeads, and
consent for research use or for representation. As such, we adopted similar networks, provide the opportunity for beaders of various expe­
several privacy and consent-based practices in how we have reported rience levels, communities, and ages to share their beading grounded
findings, including: text-based summaries of tweet examples; images of within their cultural knowledges. These beaders support one another in
tweets by permission of individual users, both anonymized and non- the learning process towards a spirit of cultural pride, revolution, and
anonymized based on user discretion; and images of tweets published resistance, which builds communal life and space.
by public organizations or in other respected Indigenous studies spaces. Beading fosters communal engagement and relations and is a catalyst
There are two key principles guiding us. First, we committed to a for convening collective cultural and social movement. While the ma­
trauma-informed research practice which accounts for and anticipates teriality of land cannot be replaced, these engagements and relations can
the ways that care is required in seeking consent. Not all social network be fostered and nourished in online spaces, witnessed in the rise of Zoom
conversations are safe to be reflected in press. Centering care, agency, beading circles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Within Twitter, we see
and responsibility to the people behind the archive is critical. Second, communal engagement on a networked scale, with the use of hashtags,
we share an appreciation for diverse, context-specific, and situational and on the interpersonal scale, with user-to-user interactions. One
needs and decision making related to the inclusion of qualitative find­ powerful example features an Indigenous woman expressing gratitude
ings in publications. No one size fits all, and ethical researchers need to for the encouragement of other Indigenous women beaders, who she
be reflective on the matter. tags in her tweet. She describes these beaders as critical mentors and
support for her — as people who helped her believe in her capabilities
Positionality and social location and in her wisdom. The communities that form around beading lift each
other up and embed this relationality within broader collective healing
Our research team includes people from a variety of intersections of movements, such as Indigenous women’s healing.
identity, including queer, Indigenous, racialized, settler, diasporic, and
Theme 3. Feminist and Queer Beading
white folks. At the time of article submission, all members were residing
in Tkaranto, Turtle Island. We are all engaged in community work with Our findings show that beading constitutes a distinctly Indigenous
Indigenous peoples and are committed to anti-oppressive, anti-colonial
practices. Our biases are many, and commitments diverse, but we are
aligned in our reflections on the limitations and privileges of our posi­
tionalities as folks with access to institutional power, research resourc­
ing, and who have been socialized — indeed, colonized — by
disciplinary perspectives. Our commitment is to attend to the effects of
bias and power imbalances and to include forms of accountability
through consensus-based research approaches, as well as through
participatory practices for research participants to engage in feedback,
input, and contribution to knowledge creation.

Results

Themes 1–5 focus on beading as a healing tradition. Themes 6–10

consider how digital spaces can support Indigenous arts therapy. Fig. 1. Tweet. Note. Beading as socioemotional and psychological healing.

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

feminist and queer art therapy tradition. As a feminist practice, beading As a queer intervention, our study highlights that beading grapples
is often explicitly linked to communal and self-care practices which with the violence of homophobia, transphobia, and helps diverse gender
center the life and desires of Indigenous women. In one example, a tweet and sexual identities to navigate beyond the historically pathologizing
affirms that beader feminism includes all those who identify as cis, trans, gaze of psychological practice. For example, there have been specific
gender queer, non-binary, femme, 2Spirit, among others. Another 2SLGBTQ+ beading circles that have emerged. Conversations about
example highlights the contributions and generous mentorship of spe­ Two Spirit identities flourish in these digital beading circle environ­
cific women artists and the resurgence work of rematriation, as explicit ments. There is a recognition of diverse queer movements within
reframing of art and therapeutic repatriation in revolutionary feminist Indigenous communities, exemplified in the use of traditional beading
terms. We also see advocacy amidst beading communities for major incorporating queer social movement signifiers, such as the non-binary,
Indigenous feminist struggles, including the Missing and Murdered trans, and rainbow flags (see Fig. 3). In other examples, beaders are
Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement. For example, there reclaiming historical figures in Indigenous history as queer icons (See
are tweets that highlight beading contributions to #WalkingWithOur­ Fig. 4). In this beading, we see a recreation of an image of the first
Sisters. In these tweets, beaded vamps (often referred to as moccasin president of the Métis Nation (an Indigenous nation to Manitoba, Can­
tops) are contributions to a commemorative art installation in honor of ada), Louis Riel, who was executed by the Canadian government for
missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada and the fighting against colonization, saturated in rainbow colors. Indigenous
United States. The highly publicized exhibit was immense, collaborative beading invites consideration of the ways art therapy unsettles the status
and community driven, featuring “1763 + pairs of moccasin vamps quo that has been defined by colonialism, particularly, the privileging of
(tops) plus 108 pairs of children’s vamps created and donated by hun­ heteronormativity, patriarchy, and transphobia.
dreds of caring and concerned individuals to draw attention to this
Theme 4. Anti-oppressive interventions
injustice,” with “[t]he unfinished moccasins represent[ing] the unfin­
ished lives of the women [and girls] whose lives were cut short” by In a related vein, our findings indicate that Indigenous beading in­
colonial violence (Walking With Our Sisters, 2020). As one tweet dis­ tervenes upon systemic and structural violence. Beading as an anti-
cusses, beadwork is a means of honoring and celebrating Indigenous oppressive therapeutic practice takes on issues like fascism and colo­
women and girls, documenting their stories, and drawing attention to nialism. As Fig. 5, a tweet from @beadagainstfash, emphasizes, the ex­
the impact of anti-Indigenous misogyny and patriarchy. In Fig. 2 we see istence of Indigenous beading traditions in the face of colonial
that this exhibit facilitated collective creation with grieving onslaughts that seek to end Indigenous ways of being is an anti-fascist,
communities. anti-colonial mechanism, and resistance against the settler colonial
regime. @Beadagainstfash states that “the settler state tried (and con­
tinues to try) over centuries to exterminate us, our traditions, and our
material culture, so I think any time knowledge of beadwork is passed
between Indigenous folks and any time an Indigenous person picks up
that needle and thread, it’s resistance” (Hopkins, 2020, par. 10).
Relatedly, there is political significance in coming together to do
beading, in person or online, as resistance to histories of colonial laws

Fig. 2. Tweet. Note. Beaded art installation commemorating missing and Fig. 3. Tweet. Note. Feminist and queer beading representing social move­
murdered Indigenous women, girls, queer and trans people. ment signifiers.

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

level. Beaders widely express a desire to return to natural, land-based

materials they can gather themselves, such as quills, tree bark, or ma­
terials derived from animals such as hide and fish scales. It is within this
sourcing of materials that the therapeutic connection to land is most
evident. Anishinaabe beading artist Kait Adams offers a concrete
example of this land-based relationality when she reflects on her expe­
rience of spending time on the land with her aunt and her grandmother,
Agnes Kabatay, to gather materials for jewelry and regalia (Adams cited
by Lisk, 2021). Adams’ experience illuminates how the land-based
materiality of beading practices can foster relational connections
across human and other-than-human relations. Kucheran similarly dis­
cusses this process as he explains that, when going to pick materials for
beading, you go with family and/or community members and spend
time on the land together, getting to know the land, practicing reci­
procity with the land, and building intimate relations with the land (RU
PowWow, 2020, min. 34:55–35:20). Beading practices follow Indige­
nous kinship principles that “link the People, the land, and the cosmos
together in an ongoing and dynamic system of mutually affecting re­
lationships” (Justice, 2018, pp. 353). Through honoring these
land-based relations, beaders connect with their culture, signifying
beading practices as acts of cultural resurgence that offer therapeutic
“[c]onnection to the land” (Lisk, 2021) and healing from colonization.
Indigenous beaders on Twitter often share inspiration from local
Fig. 4. Tweet. Note. Feminist and queer beading example of Louis Riel who was
the first president of the Métis Nation.
landscapes as places of inspiration for the creation of their future
beading. In one tweet, a beader on twitter shares images of nature that
would become their “#beadspiration”. In their tweet, the beader de­
scribes how the colors, patterns, and designs seen in nature may inform
their future beading. Beaders also demonstrated being mindful about
how beading activities impact the environment, and this consideration
came up for both how beads are sourced and then recycled if they are not
used. In addition to how beads are sourced, Indigenous beaders spoke
about being conscientious of the environmental impact of leftover
artistic materials.
Theme 6. : Holistic and Integrated processes of cultural resurgence
Across our analysis, we see indications that digital environments can
Fig. 5. Tweet. Note. Tweet about beading as an anti-oppressive practice.
be contexts for cultural resurgence. In Anishinaabe organizer Leanne
Betasamosake Simpson (2017) words, cultural resurgence is “-the pro­
outlawing Indigenous peoples from gathering (RU PowWow, 2020). cess of returning to ourselves, a reengagement with the things we have
Twitter has provided space for Indigenous people to foster anti- left behind, a re-emergence, an unfolding from the inside out"; it is "an
oppressive interventions through their beading. Krista Leddy (Métis) individual and collective process” (p. 17). Cultural resurgence, then, is a
suggests that the #NativeTwitter community has given her the confi­ holistic and integrated process. On the one hand, Simpson is hesitant
dence and inspiration to create and widely share beading that makes and critical of the Internet and social media as tools for Indigenous
explicit statements against colonial violence. Of her 2SLGBTQ+ Louis peoples to mobilize towards resurgence successfully and holistically. She
Riel piece (see Fig. 4), she says, “My rainbow Louis Riel … That writes,
connection was through Twitter. That wouldn’t have happened without I wonder how the Internet, as another structure of control whose
Twitter […F]or me to make a rainbow Louis talking about how my primary purpose is to make corporations money, is at all helpful in
community has gone backward when it comes to LGBTQ2S rights [.] I building movements. I wonder if the simulated worlds of the Internet are
don’t think I would’ve had the courage to do it without support from my simulations that serve only to amplify capitalism, misogyny, transphobia,
larger social media family” (Personal Communication, 2020). Krista’s anti-queerness, and white supremacy and create further dependencies
words indicate that #NativeTwitter is fostering a transformative envi­ on settler colonialism in the physical world. I wonder if this creates
ronment for Indigenous beaders to create pieces that speak against and further alienation from oneself, from Indigenous thought and practices,
heal structural violence. and from the Indigenous material world (221− 2).
Indigenous beaders are also using Twitter to give back to their Indeed, beaders often contend with how digital infrastructures are
communities through anti-oppressive work. In one example, an Indige­ built on colonial ideologies that perpetuate harm. Awareness is needed
nous beader shares a pendant they beaded out of dark gray hues, which to, as Simpson (2017) articulates, “structurally intervene” (222). But we
they link both to the beauty of the local landscape and to the experience also must not dismiss the possibilities, particularly therapeutic ones, of
of living with mental illness. As this beader suggests, they created the online community-building completely. Simpson (2017) recognizes that
pendant with the desire to break colonial norms that stigmatize mental “[s]ocial media [has] proved to be a powerful tool to amplify” Indige­
illnesses, to explicitly celebrate non-normativity and neurodivergence, nous movements. Our analysis suggests it might also amplify Indigenous
and to honor the lived experiences of Indigenous people who have healing. Our analysis highlights that beading in the digital space can be a
mental illnesses. holistic and integrated process of returning and re-emergence, one
Theme 5. : Environmental and Land-based Relations which frequently enacts individual, interpersonal, and sociopolitical
interventions through art across networks.
Our analysis reveals that beading is situated within environmental Malinda Joy Gray (2017), an Anishinaabe beader, writes that
and land-based relations, and as such, implicates health at a planetary Indigenous beading is a “holistic form as a method of artwork that

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

encapsulates every aspect of the life of an Indigenous person, both in the Therapeutic environments are always situated within material and
past and in the present” (3). That is, beading offers a well-rounded economic contexts, and in the case of Indigenous peoples in Canada,
nourishing and flourishing of Indigenous knowledges, ways of being, these contexts are ones with substantial socioeconomic disparities.
traditions, and, hence, sovereignty and life. Tweets in our study simi­ These socioeconomic disparities are substantial determinants of health.
larly express the holistic resurgence encompassed in beading. One tweet, Therefore, it is valuable to consider how therapeutic practices in these
for instance, explains that beading is simultaneously a journey of heal­ contexts might meaningfully address material disadvantage.
ing, an assertion of identity, an acknowledgement of sociopolitical Beaders are making use of the digital environment to enable the
context, an act of resistance against infringements on the rights of promotion and sale of their work. While a reductionist reading of this
Indigenous peoples, and an integrated expression of cultural theme might conceive it as mere artistic commodification, Chelsey
self-determinism. Moon helps to clarify in her interview that “.some of these users, they
Beading in the digital environment, then, offers holistic and inte­ use the platforms for their living. They sold, you know, their beadwork
grated expressions of artistic desire with Indigenous people across cy­ and it was their livelihood” (Personal Communication, 2020). As Moon’s
berspace, which simultaneously enables Indigenous people to address insights illuminate, the digital can be conceived as a space which sup­
the challenge of cultural discontinuity, strengthen community and social ports the economic aspects of wellbeing. The sales of beading are
relations, and express identity intergenerationally. The therapeutic im­ helping to reduce economic precarity and support community-based
plications of beading in the digital environment are profound. In­ Indigenous artists in their living.
terventions towards a holistic type of healing — which addresses, In another example, we see in a tweet that a beader is using Twitter
includes, and, indeed, is centered in cultural resurgence — have ripple to both celebrate and solicit their work. In doing so, this beader is
effects that connect a range of necessary and nourishing processes making a livelihood out of a network. While at first glance, this could be
together. seen as a co-option into capitalist thinking, Indigenous beading net­
works online are critically challenging capitalist structures and
Theme 7. Accessibility
embracing traditional Indigenous ways of commerce as a means of
The digital environment provides access to therapeutic beading supporting themselves and sharing their traditions with Indigenous
spaces that may not be available to someone in analog form. One communities. As one beader suggests in their tweet, corporative “trade
example from our study shows that people who may not be able to access networks” have always been an integral part of beading for Indigenous
in-person beading spaces are able to participate in these types of op­ peoples. These trade networks are healing for both the beader and for
portunities online, through virtual beading networks. As Métis beader the person receiving the beading. Through online beading networks,
Arlo Henry explains: Indigenous beaders enable and encourage Indigenous communities to
For me personally […] there aren’t people who I bead with in real celebrate their cultures through beading and simultaneously to revi­
life […] It’s kind of nice to have an online community at least […T]here talize Indigenous ways of exchange that refuse engagement within —
are beading groups in Calgary or […] Métis craft groups or meet-ups, but thus, heal from — a toxic capitalist system.
they’re always kind of at bad times for me. They’re […] during my In another example, we see that Indigenous people are making a
baby’s nap time [.] so I can’t really go and so it’s nice to have an online livelihood and sharing beading with other Indigenous people by hon­
community (Personal Communication, 2019, December 5, 2019). oring traditional trading networks rather than capitalist methods of sale
In this example, the value of the immediate accessibility of digital and profit. This type of exchange occurring through Twitter reveals the
space is made clear. possibilities of the digital to support relational Indigenous economies
There are other ways that accessibility plays out online, which de­ and sharing practices for supporting the lives of Indigenous peoples and
center the expressive ableism of many therapeutic spaces. To participate cultures.
in various therapeutic processes, verbal and/or proximal physical
Theme 9. : Political resistance
expression and presence, and the act of making and creating, are often
deemed necessary. Our research challenges these assumptions, as this Another dimension of the therapeutic milieu of digital environments
section of our interview with Krista Leddy demonstrates: is their possibilities for intervening on structural realities. This study
shows that online contexts for Indigenous beading resurgence are
Interviewer: [.] That makes me think about the physicalness of beads
important for the catalyzation and mobilization of political resistance.
and beadwork and the process of getting beads and I’m wondering —
We see this occurring in several important ways: first, in the use of
because oftentimes we don’t think about that physicalness when
digital accounts that focus beading at the intersections of sociopolitical
we’re engaging with stuff on the Internet, say — I wonder about the
movements and ideologies. Returning to Fig. 3, in addition to the artistic
feel of beads and whether Twitter, when you post the beads on
content being explicitly political, the username @beadagainstfash (short
Twitter, can it honor the physicality of the beads?
for Bead Against Fascism), is itself a testament to the political location of
Krista: I think it can because you can kind of catch some of that beading. Here we also see the digital environment personalizing creative
beauty and that peace. You know, sometimes for me, just seeing art and artistic products to specific political actors. As such, as a thera­
somebody else’s work is enough. ’Cause I know it exists. I know that peutic space, the digital is helping to mobilize and enliven political
someone spent all that time and skill and energy and talent in making agency — both on the part of the beader and on the part of the supporter.
this beautiful piece and it’s out there and somebody is wearing it and Indigenous beaders often link their identities, personhoods, and
it’s making - you know, […] that added piece of beauty in the world humanities to the work that they create, for instance by tweeting per­
sonal photographs to highlight that their beading has not been mass
(Personal Communication, 2020). produced or made by people appropriating Indigenous practices. In so
doing, these beaders emphasize that it matters where one purchases
These insights indicate that digital environments like Twitter can
Indigenous beading and who one supports in the making of beading —
provide access to therapeutic processes for those who might prefer non-
simply put, who one supports and where one purchases beading is a
verbal and non-proximal physical expression (for example, neuro­
political matter. These artists assert through tweets that their beading
divergent folks). The sharing, retweeting, threading, and networking
comes from an Indigenous community member working at the culturally
aspects of Twitter enable reflection and participation in the healing
guided grassroots level and whose political ideologies and personal
tradition, without necessitating making or creating, and even broaden
identity are linked to their artistic work. The intersections between
the notions of these concepts.
direct sociopolitical action and beading help to clarify that beading is
Theme 8. : Material and economic impact political and an act of political resistance.

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

A central component of healing for Indigenous people includes things that we’ve talked about are — we’ve joked about beading
activism where individuals and communities can exert their right to self- different things.” Here we see that the online connection facilitates joy
determination. These intersections and political assertions of self- and connection among Indigenous peoples. Another example of
determination occur within online beading networks in several ways. communal support occurring on the platform is illustrated in Fig. 6
Tweets show that online beading accounts promote direct in-person where @Ojistah is encouraging @jennyleeSD to participate in an online
movements — such as #IdleNoMore rallies against colonial legisla­ challenge that promotes Indigenous cultural resurgence through the
tions — to and through their networks, thereby encouraging their net­ #beadsoupchallenge.
works to support these initiatives. As well, Indigenous beaders make Within this exchange, we witness communal and culturally specific
clear their presence at direct political actions, for instance by posting support on Twitter, indicated in the use of Indigenous language and in
photos from the action to their online networks. In photographs in the learning of important cultural skills, and the giving and receiving of
tweets, Indigenous beaders link beading and self-determination by emotional support that may not be readily available in non-digital set­
wearing their beading to on-the-ground actions that they attend. tings. Importantly, our study emphasizes the healing benefits of being
able to connect with one’s community and culture. As Krista described:
Theme 10. : Communal support
"I find that quite often just those hashtags and [.] seeing people’s
One important dimension of therapeutic environments, as seen in beadwork and being able to share in that joy […] is like a balm [.] It kind
traditional group therapy, is that those spaces create opportunities for of helps just for that little part of the day” (Personal Communication,
people to connect with others about similar issues, thereby reducing 2020). Here, Krista’s use of the term “joy” describes how participating in
feelings of isolation and increasing feelings of validation. Within our cultural practices contribute to wellness and the use of the term “balm”
study, we see that Indigenous specific hashtag networks on Twitter are describes how sharing in the beading community promotes healing.
often an important communal space where Indigenous beaders can Within these online communities, Indigenous Twitter users are access­
connect with each other in ways that transcend geographical barriers ing an important form of healing that might not be found in traditional
and elicit therapeutic benefits. Chelsea Moon poignantly shares the group settings.
importance of Twitter as a communal space by stating outright that “I’ve
Theme 11. : Ethical tensions of cultural resurgence and healing in the
developed a lot of relationships on #NativeTwitter and some of the
digital

Fig. 6. Tweet. Note. Tweets of communal support and encouragement.

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J. Ansloos et al. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79 (2022) 101914

Despite the various important and exciting ways that we have wit­ and so it’s […] a bigger platform than a lot of people have on their
nessed healing occurring for Indigenous people within Twitter’s ecol­ personal account. And so […] just people hyping each other up” (Arlo
ogy, there are ethical tensions that arise when Indigenous beaders use Henry, personal communication, December 5, 2019). Given how social
Twitter to promote, share, and discuss their work. Anishinaabe new media can be used for marketing purposes, to sell artwork as livelihood,
media scholar Jennifer Wemigwans (2018) has recognized that “[c] and that social media can be used to fundraise for community members,
ultural appropriation by non-Indigenous people is the root cause of this issue of follower count can connect to well-being as well, given that
centuries of degradation of Indigenous Knowledge” (p. 44). Indeed, the certain users will receive more support via the platform than others.
cultural appropriation of Indigenous knowledge is one of the primary
ethical concerns that arises for Indigenous beaders within the Twitter Discussion
environment. Various tweets in our study speak out about how, due to
the publicness of the platform, the theft and commodification of Indig­ In this study, Indigenous people have expressed how the acts of
enous intellectual property by non-Indigenous users is an ongoing issue creating, sharing, discussing, and viewing Indigenous beading can be
that Indigenous beaders who post and circulate their artwork in the healing across several domains. Our analyses demonstrated several
Twitter environment are encountering. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson contexts for healing such as: beading as a healing tradition; as a socio-
(2017) speaks to this issue in her critique of social media for Indigenous emotional and psychological healing practice; as a communal and col­
cultural and political mobilization. Simpson writes that “because social lective process; as feminist and queer expression; as environmental and
media is public and Indigenous peoples are [viewed as] spectacle” in far land-based relations; as a holistic and integrated process of cultural
too many mainstream spaces, Indigenous people on social media are resurgence; as having positive material and economic impact that
frequently “easy targets for exploitation and violence” (224− 5). This benefit one’s well-being and safety; and as an act of political resistance.
issue emphasizes that Indigenous artists are constantly negotiating the The articulation of these contexts trouble traditional notions of therapy
risks of posting their creative work on Twitter. This hesitation to post that situate the healing process as one that exists solely within the
artwork, which sometimes results in Indigenous beaders choosing not to individual.
share their work through social media, signals a key limit in Twitter’s Through analyzing the rich Indigenous beading networks of Twitter,
abilities to be a healing space. and the healing that occurs in and through these networks, our study
Currently, Twitter as a company is ill-equipped and unhelpful in demonstrates that non-clinical and public digital spaces are important
addressing the theft and commodification of Indigenous intellectual art therapy environments. The accessibility of the Twitter platform al­
property. This inadequacy stems, in part, from the fact that Twitter’s lows for users to engage with, learn, and practice beading in ways that
policies are based on and uphold Western laws and protocols. For may not be available to them in analog form. This engagement creates
instance, at the moment, “Twitter responds to copyright complaints opportunities for Indigenous users to receive communal support from
submitted under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998) which is fellow Indigenous users in ways that may not be readily available in
an American law. Western laws are limited in their ability to protect and their current geographic location, or due to current and historical cul­
respect Indigenous knowledges, because, as Wemigwans (2018) em­ tural dislocation. Connecting with fellow beaders online also allows
phasizes, ”notions of Indigenous copyright are very different from those users to receive culturally responsive support that is not readily avail­
of Western copyright” (p. 44). Thus, for Twitter to be a safer space with able in Western healing contexts. Importantly, #NativeTwitter allows
more potential for Indigenous peoples to foster lasting collective healing for users to intervene when structural violence occurs at the in­
environments, Twitter must honor and respect Indigenous laws and tersections of fascism and colonialism, allowing the platform to be used
protocols, and must ensure that Indigenous intellectual property shared as an anti-oppressive intervention.
within the space is adequately protected. Thus, the findings of this study reveal how non-clinical and public
digital spaces are challenging conventional Western norms of therapy in
Theme 12. : Power relations and therapeutic imbalances in the digital
transformative ways. While Western norms of therapy tend to treat
Twitter holds a unique space for Indigenous beaders where they can therapy and healing as individual processes apolitical from systemic
promote their artwork, sell their work to support their livelihoods, and oppressions, Indigenous beaders on Twitter help to reveal the impor­
meet with and encourage fellow beaders. However, we also observed a tance of tackling systemic issues rather than solely individualizing
power imbalance when the space is occupied by non-Indigenous com­ healing journeys. Indigenous beading networks on Twitter, and the
munity members. In one tweet, a beader confronts a Twitter user whom benefits of these networks for Indigenous peoples, emphasize that
they created a piece for under commission but were then denied sale. healing must come at both the individual but also the community, col­
This beader expresses concern with the lack of accountability from po­ lective, and systemic levels. That is, healing must address the violence of
tential buyers of their artwork. In response to addressing the person who the settler colonial system.
requested commissioned beading, the beader was then blocked from The implications of this study reveal, then, that a shift should occur
following up on the incomplete sale. The beader reported that there was in how therapeutic environments are conceived and practiced, how
no repercussion for the individual who requested and exploited their therapists are trained, and where funding for therapeutic practices is
time and energy. This incidence points to the difficulties Indigenous directed. An understanding of ongoing systemic oppressions is necessary
beaders may experience on Twitter as a public platform. Taken together, to approach and offer therapy in more ethical, responsible, and long-
we observe the digital as a place where Indigenous beaders may confront standing ways. Further, support towards addressing systemic oppres­
power dynamics that promote or disrupt therapeutic process. sions should be prioritized when allocating funding for therapeutic
There are also power imbalances that occur with social media liter­ interventions.
acy and follower counts. On platforms like Twitter, certain people — As this study indicates, Indigenous people are engaging with one
particularly those who know how to present their information in ways another through beading practices on Twitter in ways that help to
that foster retweets, likes, and wide engagement — become situated as envision and bring into being Indigenous futures grounded in decolonial
“stars” with high follower counts. But others on the platform don’t have love, life, and joy. However, while the study reveals the benefits of the
that type of celebrity or influence. Henry spoke to this issue during their digital space for therapeutic healing, it also reveals the limitations,
interview. They started the rotating host account @IndigenousBeads tensions, and colonial legacies that become re-enacted in digital spaces.
and spoke to how various hosts have attempted to use the popularity of The silencing of Indigenous people on Twitter is one clear indication of
the account to boost Indigenous beaders’ with smaller followings. Spe­ how colonial oppressions are perpetuated in digital spaces, thus limiting
cifically, Henry said that “a lot of the hosts will […] start threads where safety and comfort for Indigenous people. These ongoing systemic op­
they let people […] post things that they’re selling and they’ll retweet it pressions within digital environments must be contended with for

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