Kaija Heitland

Kaija Heitland is a graphic designer, tattoo artist, silversmith, and artist based in Vancouver Island, on the traditional lands of the Cowichan tribes. She is a Métis woman belonging to the Cowichan Valley Métis Community, and she is originally from Northern Ontario. Kaija is the owner of Indigenous Nouveau, an e-commerce platform that sells traditional Métis made clothing and regalia. Indigenous Nouveau sells beadwork and quillwork, and offers land-based practices, workshops, and community service. Kaija sees her business’s artwork as a form of self-reclamation and strengthening community bonds, and she started Indigenous Nouveau to facilitate visibility for her community and the Métis who reside in British Columbia. In 2021, Kaija’s business was a semi-finalist in the British Columbia Pow Wow Pitch.