Asymmetrical 3-row Choker

From the artist: "I hated chokers when I was a little girl. Whenever I danced at powwow, my mom and I would have an argument about the choker.

"œYou have to wear it," she'd say, "œit's part of your regalia."
"œBut it'll choke me!"  
Mom would shake her head. "œNo it won't."
"œThen why is it called a "˜choker'?" I'd respond and run away, probably to buy a blue snocone.

And that is how children grow up to study linguistics. Anyway, I love that style of choker now but I don't like using bone hairpipe, because I can't create a good pattern of glass beads before I run out of length. So for my latest regalia, I made one of these. I shared it online; it was popular, so I made a few more."

Contains: Czech Fire Polish Beads, Cow-bone spacers, and brain-tanned buckskin lacing. Choker measures 14" long with 6" laces at each end. Handmade in Anishinaabewaki by A. Ellie Mitchell.

About the Artist
A Ellie Mitchell (Eagle Clan) is an enrolled member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. One of her earliest memories is of her mother selling dreamcatchers and beaded earrings at a powwow in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ellie began learning beadwork from her mother at the age of seven. By nine, she was selling art to her classmates and teachers. Ellie attended the Saginaw Chippewa Academy for elementary and middle school, where she received instruction from numerous Anishinaabe artists. Ellie is the owner of Bead & Powwow Supply. She dances jingle and women's traditional at powwows (depending on the heat and her mood) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Ziiibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture & Lifeways. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from Michigan State University and is working on a Master of Arts in Humanities from Central Michigan University.