Nicole Geary, founder and owner of BeadedLegacy, is of mixed Sahtu-Dene and European heritage. She comes from a long line of Sahtu-Dene women from Tłegǫ́hłı̨ (land where there is oil), colonially known as Norman Wells, NWT.

She identifies strongly with her Indigenous heritage and, although she grew up away from her traditional territory and somewhat disconnected from her family, Nicole was always told where she came from as she was growing up. Her maternal grandmother, Edith Hodgson, was a residential school survivor and courageous land defender. Due to traumatic experiences at residential school, Edith struggled with substance use throughout her life and sadly passed away due to alcoholism-related health complications before Nicole was born.

Though Nicole never met her maternal grandmother, she has heard many stories about her and has always felt a strong connection to her. Through her journey of reconnecting to culture and family, relatives have shared stories about the many beautiful versions of Edith that they all got to know.

Nicole is a registered member with her community - the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Norman Wells. She grew up using the word “ehtsu” which is Slavey for “grandmother” when speaking about Edith. These are only a few small pieces of the puzzle that makes up her identity as an mixed-Indigenous woman, but they are important ones. Building relationships with her family and community in the North has become increasingly important to Nicole as she has grown older, and she is now more connected to her relatives than she has ever been before. In the coming months and years, Nicole hopes to finally visit her traditional territory of Norman Wells and learn more of the Slavey language.