We fell short of our Fall Fundraiser goal of 2,500 donations. Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now
My Economy

This Indigenous artist made her beadwork into a thriving business

Sofia Terenzio Feb 14, 2024
Heard on:
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Mikailah Thompson learned to bead from her grandmother when she lived on the Nimiipuu reservation in North-Central Idaho. Courtesy Mikailah Thompson
My Economy

This Indigenous artist made her beadwork into a thriving business

Sofia Terenzio Feb 14, 2024
Heard on:
Mikailah Thompson learned to bead from her grandmother when she lived on the Nimiipuu reservation in North-Central Idaho. Courtesy Mikailah Thompson
HTML EMBED:
COPY

My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

Mikailah Thompson is an Indigenous beadwork artist based in Washington, D.C. When she was 10 years old, Thompson moved to the Nimiipuu reservation in North-Central Idaho where she lived with her grandmother, Chloe Halfmoon, who taught her how to bead.

Now, Thompson has made a business out of her beadwork. Thanks to the recent success of Beadwork by Mikailah, she was able to start a second business, Indigenous Creatives, a creative agency that works to spotlight Native American artists.

Beaded artwork on a circular handbag.
Thompson’s handmade design, the Nimiipuu Aayata handbag, made with individually hand-shaven dentalium shells, seed beads, brass, buckskin, bugle beads, brass studs, brass beads and shell discs. (Courtesy Mikailah Thompson)

Click the audio player above to listen to Thompson’s story.

Let us know how your economy is doing using the form below, and your story may be featured on a future edition of “My Economy.”









There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.