This project was created for a packaging class at Oregon State University. Blending together Native and Japanese forms and sensibilites, this piece is envisioned as part of a larger Mnaadendwin collection, named after the Ojibway word for respect. Ultimately, the piece is meant as an affirmation of multiple/blended identities. The model herself is of Japanese, European, and Native American heritage.
The necklace is in the form of a Plains-style choker, formed with beads made out of chiyogami paper. The clean form of the box and inclusion of gold draws directly from Japanese lacquer boxes. The brown paper (coincidentally named “tobacco,” a substance which is used for ceremonial purposes) represents the respect for the natural world common in Native thought across the continent.