2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Her

The holidays are here, and with that comes gift guides! Eighth Generation is sharing three gift guides this year to help you find great gifts and perfect presents from Native and BIPOC small businesses this season. We want to be clear that Eighth Generation rejects the colonial notion of a gender binary as the only way to express one's self, and recognizes a full spectrum of genders, identities, and expressions. Calling this gift guide "Gifts for Her" is purely for SEO (Search Engine Optimization): the more buzz words we can use that Google likes, the more likely this gift guide is to be shown to a wide audience...and the more likely a wide variety of people are to find incredible Native artists and brands to shop from! This gift guide features jewelry, skincare and makeup, clothing, and other pretty accessories for the fa-la-la-la-fun people on your list. 

Blog post by Eighth Generation Textile Specialist and Social Media Assistant Francesca Robello (Karuk); gift suggestions sourced from Eighth Generation staff

For the Beauty Guru: Prados Beauty

Cece Meadows is the Founder and CEO of Prados Beauty and is a proud Xicana and Indigena (Yoeme and Nʉmʉnʉ), who is working to bring awareness, amplification, and collaboration with other Native artists through high-quality cosmetics. Working with artists like Steven Paul Judd and Lauren Good Day, you can now Indigenize your makeup collection with their wide selection of makeup palettes, lipsticks, lashes, brushes, and more.

Bundle Box Prados x Lauren Good Day Box, Available at pradosbeauty.com 

For the Jewelry Lover: Scandigenous Designs

Blending her Indigenous and Scandinavian roots, Sinixt descendant artist Lindsay Ravensong (Snʕáyckstx-Syilx) handcrafts "subarctic adornments" that anyone can wear with her Scandigenous Designs jewelry business. Her gorgeous beaded earrings, necklaces, and other accessories tell stories from her heritage and upbringing, and can be found in shops and museums in the US and Canada, as well as a wide selection available at her online shop.

Månvarg Earrings, Available at Scandigenous.designs 

For the Inspired Native: Eighth Generation

Made right here in our Seattle studio, our Good Harvest Throw Blanket by Sarah Agaton Howes (Anishinaabe-Ojibwe) is the latest release in our Gold Label collection. This lightweight 100% Merino wool throw will be a gift to enjoy all year round.

Shop the Good Harvest Blanket at our website eighthgeneration.com 

Sarah has also created a new collection of Native-designed jewelry that includes two new gold-plated earrings and two new gold-plated necklaces that are perfect accessories for your holiday outfit or make beautiful gifts. 

Sarah's Berry Blossom Earrings available on our website eighthgeneration.com

For the Barbie Girl: Lauren Good Day 

If Christmas doesn’t have an iconic pink Indigenous Barbie tee this year, then we don’t want it!

Lauren Good Day is a multi-award winning artist and fashion designer whose an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation) of the Ft. Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, USA and also a registered Treaty Indian with the Sweet Grass Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada.

She describes her collection as “authentic Indigenous wearable art for the culturally confident, the fashionista, the collector and the Native arts appreciator,” and includes beautiful dresses, silk scarves, and so much more. Her Barbie-pink T-shirt featuring the text Indigenous is a a fashion-forward way to say "This Barbie is Native."

Indigenous Barbie Tee in Pink, Available at laurengoodday.com

For the Natural Beauty: Sḵwálwen Botanicals

Sḵwálwen (skwall-win) is an Indigenous skincare line founded by ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph (Styawat) of Squamish First Nation that honors Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) plant knowledge and ancestral traditions. Each botanical-based product is harvested ethically and sustainably, and carries not only skin healing properties, but serves as symbol of keeping traditional Squamish plant knowledge alive.  A gift set from Sḵwálwen would be a dream come true for your skin!

Sḵwálwen Botanicals Renewal Set, Available at skwalwen.com

For the One Who's Always Cold: Manitobah Mukluks

Give the gift of warmth this winter by supporting Indigenous-owned footwear company Manitobah Mukluks, founded by Sean McCormick (Métis). Manitobah, which newly achieved B Corps certified, not only offers the classic mukluk, but collaborates with Native artists like DeWayne Dale Jr. (Diné) to modernize the traditional winter boot. From slippers and moccasins, to mittens and hats, Manitobah will have the whole family winter ready. Manitobah's special Indigenous Market has handmade footwear by Indigenous artists, too. 

From boots to slippers, keep your feet cozy at manitobah.com

For the Hair Expert: Sister Sky

Sister Sky is a family-owned, women-led, Indigenous haircare brand that is bringing love and attention to Native women’s hair! They are proud to offer haircare products that cater to the unique needs of Native hair, since they couldn’t find what they were looking for in the mainstream market. Their online store offers a three-step hair care regime that includes shampoo, conditioner, and a nourishing mist, as well as body care products like lotion, soap bars, and body mists. Great for stocking stuffers!  

 Your hair can looks as beautiful as the women behind Sister Sky! Shop haircare and bodycare for everyone at sistersky.com

For the Coffee Lover: Boon Boona Coffee

Boon Boona is a Black-owned coffee company founded by Seattle local Efrem Fesaha, with three beloved coffee shop locations in Seattle's Capitol Hill and University District neighborhoods, and nearby Renton. Fesaha’s Eritrean roots inspired him to bring the Eritrea coffee culture to Seattle: to fill shops with the scent of freshly-roasted coffee and a welcoming community. You can find their coffee roastery’s selection in stores or on their online shop, where you can also schedule a coffee subscription at your desired cadence!

Give the gift of coffee all year long with a coffee subscription! Shop subscriptions or individual bags at boonboonacoffee.com

 Your Boon Boona Coffee will taste even better in one of Eighth Generation's Native-designed coffee mugs! Pair a bag of coffee with a mug by one of our talented Native artists for the perfect present for the coffee lover in your life (hint hint: work bestie, up-at-dawn grandpa, kiddo's favorite teacher...). We have three new designs this fall, including Pony Express by John Isaiah Pepion (Piikani/Blackfeet), Octopus by David Robert Boxley (Ts'msyen/Tsimshian), and Cedar by Louie Gong (Nooksack). (They join the beautiful blue Rice Blossoms Mug designed by Anishinaabe/Ojibwe artist Sarah Agaton Howes we released this spring.) 

Our mugs by Inspired Natives artists are 100% guaranteed to make any beverage taste better! Shop at eighthgeneration.com