b'NORTHERN SPOTLIGHTBUILDING ABUSINESSWITH AHEART Photo by Sandy GordonTw o s i s t e r s t a p i n t o t h e i r p e r s o n a l h i s t o r y t o b u i l d a s u c c e s s f u l j e w e l r y b u s i n e s s w i t h a s t r o n g c o m m u n i t y f o c u s i n t h e c o u n t r y s N o r t hBy Gavin JohnA tfirst,itwasjustaboutWhitehorse-based jewelry business.and antler and yeah, just wire wrap-wire. Copper wire twistedAs university students, it didnt costping little scraps that we could find, aroundantlerscrapsandvery much money. Montana recalls. stones, sold for a few extra dollarsattheuniversityMontanaandhersisterDelaneyEach summer, when they came home farmers market. We started whenwere teenagers at the time, just 18toWhitehorse,thesistersjoined we were both in university as just aand 19 years old, but they had thattheFireweedCommunityMarket, means of making a little extra money,special resourcefulness born out ofaseasonalhubforlocalmakers. saysMontanaPrysnuk,co-ownerNorthern life. We started selling,Eventually what began as side-income with her sister of Copper Caribou, amaking just small wire wrapping rockswhile they studied in university grew Photo on left by Kali SpitzerCopper Caribou continues its tradition of creating unique handcrafted jewelry while also expanding into teaching Indigenous cultural practices like hide tanning46A CCIB PUBLICATIONSpecial Edition 2025'