Anishinaabe Bimishimo: An Indigenous Company that Understands the Sovereignty of Jingle Cones

Abstract

Rooted in traditional values, community support and engagement, and ensuring that First Nation peoples' voices are represented, Anishinaabe Bimishimo strives to provide its jingle cone product with traditional respect. [...]Anishinaabe Bimishimo contributes to First Nation community development by providing inexpensive and locally produced jingle cones while offering its community members employment and training opportunities. [...]Anishinaabe Bimishimo's competitors Missouri River, McPherson, and Teton Trade Cloth have appropriated the jingle cone and have made an economic profit off its Indigenous consumers in which they disregard the sacred meanings, teachings, and stories associated with the jingle cone (personal communications, November 5, 2020). [...]the demand for jingle cones differs by geographic location. [...]once she realized jingle cones were manufactured in Taiwan, McKinney understood that such jingle cones did not have traditional meaning; therefore, she did not consider the sacred teachings of the jingle dress (personal communications, November 5, 2020). [...]before creating Anishinaabe Bimishimo, McKinney had to first consider elders' teachings, ask for approval from elders, and also consider community members' ideas (personal communications, November 5, 2020).