There's never been a brand like tribally-owned Eighth Generation!

Eighth Generation is a Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe. It was founded in 2008 by artist, activist, and educator Louie Gong (Nooksack), and was purchased by the Snoqualmie Tribe in 2019—making them the first tribe to own a lifestyle brand. Now the first Native-owned company to ever produce wool blankets, Eighth Generation is a proud participant in the global economy.

Eighth Generation provides a strong, ethical alternative to “Native-inspired” art and products through our artist-centric approach and 100% Native designed products. We are reclaiming a market that has been dominated by non-Native companies using stolen and fake “Native-inspired” designs by investing in Native creativity, capacity, entrepreneurship, and values. Through our Inspired Natives® Project, which is anchored by the tagline “Inspired Natives®, not Native-inspired,” we build business capacity among cultural artists while addressing the economic impact of cultural appropriation.

Louie Gong and the Eighth Generation staff in 2016

Colleen Echohawk, Louie Gong, and many of the Eighth Generation staff in February 2022

In 2015, Eighth Generation became the first Native-owned business in the US or Canada to sell Native-designed wool blankets, reclaiming a market that had been dominated by non-Native companies using fake "Native-inspired" designs for over a century. That same year, Louie and several important community members, including Colleen Echohawk, presented before the Pike Place Market board to discuss the critical importance of having a Native-owned business in Pike Place Market. We opened our flagship store in the Market in 2016, quickly becoming a beloved fixture in the neighborhood.

We launched our own made-in-house Gold Label Collection of wool textiles in 2020—another first for a Native-owned business. In 2022, Louie stepped down as CEO (although he remains an Inspired Natives® Collaborator), and we were joined by Colleen Echohawk (Pawnee, Athabaskan) as our new CEO. We continue to grow each year, adding more artists to our roster, more designs to our collections, and more prosperity to Indian Country.

Leader Bios

CEO Colleen Echohawk's bio

Founder Louie Gong's bio

Eighth Generation Awards

2021 "40 Under 40" Awardees: COO Serene Lawrence (Ojibwe) and Retail & Special Projects Manager Stephanie Masterman (Tlingit) - National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
2019 Small Business Empowerment Award - National Center for American Indian Economic Development
2019 Top Native Entrepreneurship List - Native Business Magazine
2018 Woody Crumbo Award for the Preservation and Advancement of American Indian Art - Michell Museum
2016 Adeline Garcia's Community Service Award - Seattle Indian Health Board
2015 Faces of Indian Country - Indian Country Today
2015 Top 10 Inspirational Natives: Past and Present - Native Max's Magazine

About Eighth Generation Artists

Eighth Generation only works with authentic Native (Native American, First Nations, or Indigenous) artists. Proof of tribal enrollment, as well as other factors, may be used in our assessment of whether an artist is a good match for the Eighth Generation brand.

Proof of tribal enrollment (required)
Demonstrated engagement with tribal communities over time
Vetting by tribal communities as demonstrated by prior art projects
Continuity between the artist's creative practice and traditions/themes of their own tribal community