Hummingbird Eco Sponge Indigenous Artist Nicole La Rock

Statement of Respect and Authenticity

We believe that Indigenous artists should be treated fairly and with respect. Authenticity of art, design, and culture is the foundation of our mission of building everyday connection to Indigenous cultures.

Native Northwest products are guided by the following five principles:

• 100% of the art featured on every Native Northwest product is designed by Indigenous artists

• All artists have provided consent and contractual permission for their art to be featured on Native Northwest products

• Artist names are acknowledged on all product packaging

• Cultural traditions are honoured by acknowledging cultural affiliation on product packaging

• Artists are paid in fees and royalties

Qwe’to:llhmelhet, (English name: Nikki LaRock) Has been doing her art for over 20 years but has been exploring more of her modern art within the past 10 years, doing fashion designing, murals, logos etc…

Maternally, Nikki is from Yakweakwioose and paternally she is from Sts’ailes First Nation. Nikki has three children and three grandsons and many adopted children and grandchildren that she has claimed as her own as she has worked with youth for about 15-20 years.

Nikki strongly believes in her culture and cultural ways of healing as this is what helped her over the past 22 years to beat her own mental health issues, seasonal depression, extreme panic and anxiety and PTSD. Nikki went on a mission to learn everything she could about herself, in order to change the things she did not like and to mould herself into the person she wanted to become. Nikki has always had a passion to do all kinds of artwork which also became one of her healing methods. Nikki has turned her own healing journey into a program that she now teaches, healing through art and culture.

Despite having many life challenges, it did not change the love I hold in my heart. Love is the greatest strength that I carry, I see art on everything, everyday. I love it because I get to fall in love everyday by seeing what I see. I’ve learned to be in the moment when I am creating my custom pieces, I go with the flow of energies in that moment, this is how colours are chosen and I let the energies guide me and that’s how the designs come out. I never know what I’m going to create when I start. The story comes to me as I am creating each piece which makes the design even more special because it was made specifically for you.