$24.00
Right about the time he discovered art, Eighth Generation founder Louie Gong found a feral kitten meowing loudly outside Muckleshoot Tribal College on the Muckleshoot reservation.
The future looked bleak for the little tabby, who was scraggy, dehydrated, and full of fleas and ear mites. So Louie took him home that evening with plans to bring him to a vet the next morning for medical attention, and then to a shelter for eventual adoption. When the kitten immediately fell asleep in Louie's passenger seat, however, he realized he had just adopted a cat -- publicly known as Rez Cat. Later that same night, Rez Cat -- obviously used to sleeping in the woods -- chose to curl up in a ball and pass out inside his litter box.
Rez Cat's real name is Maosie. He's now a highly vocal, 18-pound Goliath that brings humor and a demand for snacks to everyone he encounters.
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$24.00
Adapted from the vibrant neon sign outside our Pike Place Market store, this t-shirt features Louie Gong's signature hummingbird design.
This Coast Salish Hummingbird design was originally hand-drawn by Louie on a traditional hand drum made for a friend. Often thought to be a harbinger of good news, the hummingbird is the perfect symbol to represent people who bring positivity to others.
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$24.00
This unique butterfly - composed of two abstract eagles on either side of the Space Needle - is Louie's homage to a city undergoing rapid transformation. It stands as a reminder to both long-time Seattleites and recent transplants that the city's character is rooted in its rich history and communities, and an understanding of this history should lead our decision making as we plan for the future.
Over the last few years, this design has also grown to symbolize Indigenous presence and unity. It was initially developed in 2010 as branding for the Seattle Indian Health Board’s Indigenous Cultures Day event. In 2015, a variation of this design was also adopted as the mark of Seattle’s successful movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day.
Thanks for supporting Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired. #inspirednatives
$24.00
In all parts of the Northwest, there are dark stories of a 10’ tall witch with greasy hair and a body covered in sores. Her lips are permanently pursed because she is constantly whistling. Sometimes she is called Slapoo. In other places she is called Basket Woman, Tsunikwa or Dashkiya
As Seattle-based storyteller Roger Fernandes describes, Slapoo travels down from her camp high in the mountains to collect naughty children and those that forget to listen to their elders. When she returns to her camp, she disembowels them with her toenails and cooks them over her fire.
Ultimately a tool for teaching and transferring values, the story of Slapoo is often told in a way in which the naughty children ultimately escape by acting in a way consistent with traditional values or applying traditional knowledge.
Here Louie explores the story of Slapoo in the context of a rapidly changing urban environment (Seattle). In the rush to capitalize on this growth, what values are the business and political forces driving this development forgetting?
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