b'WOMEN IN BUSINESSDEEPER UNDERSTANDINGDakota Brant describes Sapling & Flints jewelry as heirloom quality, classic and iconic. Our designs reflect the beauty of the Carolinian forest, the maples, birches and oaks, says Dakota, who co-founded the company with her sister Jesse. Not only do they resonate with Indigenous people because they are Indigenous trees, they also resonate with Canadians because they are iconic of Canada. competitions cash prize of $5,000, which they invested in photography equipment The Brant sisters leverage their jewelry collections to educate settlers aboutto produce higher quality product photos Indigenous history, culture, and the role that jewelry has played in historicand videos. trade. As long as theres been trade, theres been trade of jewelry between settlers and Indigenous people, explains Dakota.Then in 2019, they won $15,000 through With collection names like the Trade Silver Collection, Haudenosauneethe PayPal Merchant Makeover Contest, Traditions and Leaders of the Four-Legged, Dakota thinks of their jewelrywhich went towards studio equipment, as conversation pieces. She explains how two so-called Canadian icons allowing them to branch into the whole-the maple leaf and lacrossecan spur teachable moments. Both feature insale market. We wanted to increase their designs. production of our products, says Dakota. Back then, many of our products were The maple is the leader of the trees for Mohawk people. The ceremonymade with drill bits and small tools. We around the maple trees is considered our New Years Day celebration becausewanted to buy industrial-grade equip-collecting maple sap is the very first harvest of the year, Dakota explains.ment, more benches so we could hire Most Canadians think of autumn as harvest time. But maple sap harvestmore jewellers and then provide each of happens all year long, starting in the dead of winter. them with their own equipment. And while lacrosse may be Canadas official sport, few Canadians realize itsIntroducing these changes ramped up spiritual Indigenous significance. Lacrosse is a gift from the Sky World. It wastheir production speed and made whole-played by our ancestors and brought here by Sky Woman. Theres a legacysale possible. Jesse was [earlier] making of innumerable generations that have been evolving this medicine game,a handful of pieces a week. Now, were Dakota explains. In the late 1800s, European men thought it looked like fun,finishing dozens of pieces per jeweller and decided to regulate it. But theres a whole depth to it that goes beyondevery single week, says Dakota. We this game. There is so much you can get from a little piece of jewelry. streamlined and dont have to outsource. We want to keep our business here to 62A CCAB PUBLICATION2023'