Gl-o in the Dark

Category: Uncategorized

  • Braidz By Skittzz: Native Hair and it’s Sacredness

    Native Hair is one of those topics you rarely think about. What defines native hair? What does it look like? But it is one of the most significant pieces of native culture that carries so many traditions and stories that have been passed down through generations. As well as a key understanding of our spirit as spiritual beings. Every Native culture has their own customs to their hair, and every Native culture has had their own experience in relationship to colonization as well. For the most part, our hair is what holds our spirit. An extension of our thoughts and dreams. It has the potential to protects us and to even heal us. Tasé Kitten Montaño (Gila River Reservation Sacaton, AZ) who goes by Skittzz, who is a professional intricate braider at San Jose’s finest hair salon called Faded Barbershop, does just that. 

    “I don’t like to braid when I’m having a bad day, I don’t like to put that energy into the hair, I believe that our skin holds energy and our body is frequency,” says Skittzz. When she is working on a bad day, she can notice the difference in the quality of the braids and in within the client’s experience. She connects to the source of her healing energy and shares that energy with other people through the intricate process of braiding. Braiding has taught her patience and grounding, and with braiding she has opened up a more spiritual door. She has studied a lot of different religions but couldn’t connect with any and turned away from it all. While braiding, it has opened a spiritual gate because it’s like a meditation for her, when she’s braiding, that’s her full meditation, she’s releasing her thoughts and is more open to positive energy. Sometimes clients come in having a bad day and by the time they leave they are completely uplifted, says Skittzz. This is because she is providing a healing experience. By feeling the vibe of her clients, she can then work with them to do the braids. When she’s done with her work day, she reflects back to see what worked. What worked to heal this person or that person and continues to build her technique to help everyone who sits on her braiding chair. 

    Skittzz grew up with her mom braiding her hair. She said she sort of would look like a tom boy because her mom would give her just one braid. And she would notice her friend had really cool braids with lots of different colors and extensions. She would sometimes go with her friend to watch her hair get braided and would watch Mama Coco box braid her friend’s hair and would pay close attention to how she was doing it. Then she would race home and practice what she saw on her own hair and on her barbie’s hair. Eventually, she got fantastic at doing her own hair, as she would feel about with her fingers and separate her hair with a pencil. Skittzz was born in LA and a lot of her family lives there, but her grandma grew up in Sacaton, Arizona. She still has family members in Sacaton and Casa Grande, Arizona. 

    Skittzz went to college in New Mexico after high school in criminal justice because she wanted to help the youth in foster care because she grew up in the foster care system until she was thirteen. Shortly after, she dropped out, realizing that it wasn’t what she actually wanted to do. So she went to cosmology school where she learned the fundamentals of scalp care and to properly braid hair to not heighten or give anyone a scalp condition. After a short time in Arizona, she found her way up here to the Bay Area and got a job at Faded Barber shop. As well as attended School at the Barber Academy. Today, she continues to work at Faded Barber shop, where her clientele has grown substantially. When she first started, she knew no one and would accept walk ins and would sometimes only have one client in an eight-hour work day. But as time went on and word spread, she grew popular amongst the community. 

    The name Skittzz comes from a nickname from high school. A part of her life when she would wear really bright colors and friends called her skittles, which evolved into skittzz. For Skittzz, the most difficult part of being a braider is balance. Through this healing work, it can be overwhelming. As an empathic person, finding a way to work through a lot of these emotions from herself but also from other people can be a lot. She has found that meditation has been helpful, journaling and thought/verbal release to clear up some emotional space has worked instead of taking it out on her kids or the people around her and especially not into the braids. A way to release in a constructive way. Skittzz has allowed for her to be her own competitor. She says, “If I wake up, and I’m not better than the day before, then why am I continuing to do this if I can make myself better?” Which is what has motivated Skittzz to learn about the different braids of different cultures. “You have cultural appreciation and appropriation, native people have been bypassed all together, but all cultures have some type of braid,” says Skittzz. “Pop culture has shunned out that, and it’s more of a pick me culture”.  Skittzz further went on to say that whatever hair you have, she is here to work with it. Skittzz thinks that everyone should experience the feeling of braids. “The world is separated enough. Why not bring humanity and love back together. And if I can do that with braiding, then so be it.” says Skittzz.

  • We Are In Our Urban Native Era

    To be indigenous is to recognize that you are part of the land, and just like our own bodies, we need to protect and take care of the well-being of the land as well. Native fashion continues to share the stories of the land and to remind us all that without the land we would not be able to survive. Fashion has a unique ability to be intimate with people by default, simply because they are the closest things we put to our skin. They are shaped like our bodies. Embodying the stories of the land and encapsulating the ongoing stories native people have and share. Urban Native Era is one of these brands. They aim to empower people who wear their designs and to “increase indigenous visibility all around the world”.

    Witnessing Joey Montoya, who is the creator of Urban Native Era, at the California Academy of Sciences fashion show that showcased three designers, Alira Sharrief of The Hijabi Chronicles, Cindy Phan of Ao Dai Festival, and Joey, was a delightful experience. UNE gave us something we hadn’t seen before in previous streetwear collections released by the brand. With their famous “you are on native land” printed on dad hats and hoodies. These designs had a contemporary touch with elegant, earthy, neutral tones and modestly fierce garments. While tuning in to the Intersections Conversation panel discussion earlier in the evening hosted by Marisol Medina-Cadena, Joey mentioned that the designs he showcased touch on a lot of connecting us to our culture and place.

    You can see the etheric elements embedded into the designs of the collection. The sheer blouse felt like a fabric of ghostly allure but also ready to wear out to a nightclub or day party. Really bringing two worlds together, enabling a kaleidoscope of diverse features. I really loved Joey’s take on what clothing meant to him. He mentioned that “Clothes can hold us. There’s a spiritual-ness to it. There’s something there, it’s life. When you put something on, you feel that”. Realizing that clothes can be spiritual is a great way to dress with intention and think about how our personal stories are expressed through the clothes that we choose to put on.

    Urban Native Era started in 2012 right here in San Jose, California. Joey Montoya, who is Lipan Apache, born and raised in San Francisco, wanted to spread the visibility of indigenous peoples. Inspired by the Idle No More Indigenous movement, UNE began to release its first collection in May 2013, which was made up of a series of shirts. Joey is a multimedia artist and entrepreneur who has set out to re-design a new world. One that is more inclusive. Since then, he has expanded his company, UNE, into a global phenomenon where his designs have been worn by Pauline Alexis “Wagiya Cizhan” (Young Eagle), (Alexis Nakota Sioux), who plays Willie Jack in Hulu’s original series Reservation Dogs. Joey has been featured on ABC’s Localish series Unfiltered and has been in magazines like Cosmopolitan and Vogue. Joey is deeply rooted in the Bay Area Native communities and always has a booth at local Pow Wows.Urban Native Era is a brand for everyone to wear. Non-natives can and should wear the famous “You are on Native Land” attire to contribute to spreading awareness about who’s land you walk on, use the resources on, and understand that everything we do, and everywhere you go, you are on Native Land that has provided for us since time immemorial. We all need to recognize the indigenous names of the land we live and walk on. To pay attention to the stories that the land has and the voices of the people of the land translating these sacred stories. We must protect the land, heal the land, and love the land as the land loves us. Recognizing native land is promoting the indigenous perspective, leading down a path that takes us out of the colonial mindset of exploiting the land, and into the indigenous mindset of nurturing the land.

  • Reconnecting Our Minds to Native Fashion

    Explore what the world of fashion is all about from the Native Perspective.

    Blue hues spill into the windows, bouncing off the textured eggshell white walls, creating a nice, soft glow of cool serenity. The fly on the wall can’t tell where I end and the empty bed begins. I am fully embraced by the linen sheets I purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond when it was still there on Hamilton on the west side. Somehow, mornings always have a gentle presence to them. 

    Slithering to the kitchen wrapped in slippery satin drapes. Thank God for coffee. Glaring with squinty eyes from the bright bulb somehow brighter than my actual overhead kitchen light illuminating the day-old papas con chorizo that will suffice for now. My cat side-eyes me as I pass by her food bowl. I know she’s antsy for some tuna as if she hasn’t eaten in weeks. “Today’s going to be a big day,” races through my mind as I head towards my closet door, oh shoot, what am I going to wear?

    It’s safe to say all of us, each day, contemplate what we are going to wear: Depending on the occasion, dictates the challenge. The South Bay, in all of its glory, hasn’t exactly been placed on the top five fashion regions in the world, but we are full of culture that is rich and full of creativity and life. That includes our fashion. 

    In my previous blog posts, I’ve accepted the challenging journey of setting out to define what our style consists of. How we dress articulates who we are and how we feel. It’s how we are perceived when attending the Culture Night Market or open mic night at Nirvana Soul and strolling down San Pedro Square. So, what is South Bay’s Fashion style? A crisp, bubbly flight of beer. In other words, it is a mixture of all sorts of things. 

    How many pairs of baggy pants are currently hanging up in your closet? Why? Is it because you find them more comfortable? Or maybe you saw a friend or stranger walking down 1st Street in SoFA and thought, that’s a look. And let’s face it, we all want to look good while feeling cozy. The HypeBeast fashion aesthetic has always been a part of how we dress here in the South Bay. Throughout the years it’s been shifting and changing, and somehow we’ve managed to add more pockets. 

    Streetwear in the Bay Area has always been about expressing who you are and what you represent. It indicates a lot about which community you grew up in and impacts how you navigate our communities. Today, streetwear has adopted an additional layer of identity and focuses on the internal world of dressing and how you feel. Sparking the motion of individuals to dress more authentically and as yourself, and if you don’t know who that is, I invite you to use your fashion style to figure that out. 

    Conclusion:

    Sans logo, screen printed shirts, and accessorized garments with metal hoops and pins are all elements that describe streetwear’s evolutionary state in South Bay. Wide pants, cozy oversized sweaters, and a drapery scarf or hood to go along with a kind of Balenciaga-like silhouette consisting of weird shapes with the accents of vintage thrift clothes and crossing the boundaries of gender norms in fashion. Androgyny has allowed us to rethink the way we are perceived, the way we are labeled, and the way we are confined to a box, which limits our perception of self-expression. 

    We can no longer be restrained by the compounds of decades-old ideologies of community roles, and instead need to recognize our spiritual connection and dress up our auras to influence the people around us to practice authenticity as their new religion to create salvation for us all. I invite you to think about what the clothes hanging up in your closet or sitting in piles on your couch mean to you, and they may show the world who you are or prevent the world from seeing you. A lot of us are wanting to grow as people. Some of us feel we have to, and that can, indeed, be expressed in the exploration of what we wear.

    Native Fashion:

    Indigenous design is the original design language of America. Connected to this land and place of what we call Canada and the United States. -Amber-Dawn Bear Robe (Siksika Nation) Fashion Curator and Indigenous Art Historian

    When you think of Native fashion, what comes to mind? Do you think of feathers and maybe regalia? Well, although this is a part of native fashion, it is nowhere close to all of what it consists of. Each Nation has its version and style of clothing, as well as its own technique for making clothes and garments. All of these techniques stem from traditional techniques passed down through generations. Today, we all have more access to different materials, which enables Native designers to create their own fashion designs with contemporary concepts. Through this blog series, I will be exploring how Native Fashion weaves together the different Native communities all over Turtle Island and diving deep into why it’s important for us here in the Bay Area.

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  • Express Yourself!

    What Do Your Clothes Say About You?

    Fashion style defines and groups people together to form a distinctive culture. Fashion style has the ability to drive social change, represent a community, and deepen the connection and attachment to the land and people residing there. Walking downtown through the wide streets and sounds of construction of the next nine-story high rise. Vans and leather shoes pollute the sidewalks. Skaters in their wide-legged slacks and off-tone t-shirts. What does San Jose style look like? Does it look like anything? We live in a melting pot, “American Culture,” but many American cities have distinctive looks to how their citizens dress, so why not us? 

    Defining a fashion style of a specific area can be a challenge. Since the start of the internet, people have been influenced by each other from all parts of the planet. Although this plays a factor, I still believe San Jose has the potential to have its own unique style. So I set out into the community to see what others had to say about it and what I found was fascinating. Let’s begin by thinking about why fashion style is essential. 

    “I don’t feel a cohesive fashion community here in San Jose” -Araceli Vizcaino

    What we choose to wear every day says something about ourselves to the world. It tells our story in an abstract way that provokes identity. “You don’t have to tell people who you are. Someone could look at you and tell which community you’re part of,” says Araceli Vizcaino, owner of Thrill of the Luxe, a vintage shop here in San Jose. We make quick observations about others around us, and what that person is wearing plays a significant factor if we deem them “okay” to be around or not. Because our fashion tells a lot about who we are. “Throughout history, fashion has been a way to identify people according to class, occupation, region, etc., but today it’s mostly used to define subcultures. Especially since our society is moving towards individuality,” says Fashion Psychologist Carolyn Mair. 

    Fashion style has the ability to bring people together. Have you ever been on the street, and someone walks past you, and you have to take a second look and yell out that their outfit is “hella” nice, and it’s a whole interaction? If not, go outside in a kickass fit and see if anyone responds to you. It’s such an inclusive experience. “That’s how the vintage community is. It’s very much about who’s wearing the coolest t-shirt or even the coolest outfit. I think that is the unifying force of the community. Then you start connecting with people, saying that you like someone’s t-shirt and where did you get it? And from that interaction, relationships and communities start to really blossom from that,” exclaims Araceli. 

    “Fashion echoes the depth of human self-awareness,” muses Carolyn Mair. Sometimes it’s tough to wear what we want to wear because of the responses we might get from others. I have walked around in a “fit” that was a bit wild, but I was feeling it, even though I had people respond to me negatively. This behavior is partly conducive to why some of us don’t want to authentically express who we are and how we want to dress. This can have a pessimistic effect on whether we choose to wear sparkly orange shoes or dull gray sneakers. Can we declare right now to keep an approachable mindset so that we can create a safe space for our community to express and showcase who they are? Allow others and yourself to feel excited about dressing up and contributing to the vibrant culture we have here in the Bay Area. 

    Defining fashion is a slippery journey. There are so many different outlets that influence our sense of style—delivering a melting pot of ideas and concepts. 

    What has stood out over the decades and in the conversations I’ve had with some local fashionistas is baggy clothes with a vintage feel. In my next post, I will define what San Jose’s fashion style looks and feels like. Please respond below and let me know your thoughts about how we can create a safe space to express ourselves through what we wear entirely. 

    Share a time when you wore something you felt great in and how it made you feel and how others responded to you.

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