TheGreatShoeCase: Sky Walker Sneakers on Behance

I designed this sneaker with symbolism and colors from my Kanien'kehake culture and community. The visuals are culturally important and include Pleides, the Annual Presents - 24 Nations Treaty 1764, Onkwehonwe Sky Domes, Dolomite, Corn, a Bear Paw track and more that I hand painted onto this 3D Sneaker using Adobe Substance Painter.

Kanien'kehake (human beings) are still alive in our homelands today, practicing our ceremonies, speaking our languages (Kanien'keha dialects), singing our songs, making 3D art imagining ourselves in future spaces wearing sneaker designs inspired by our ancestors, present and future people :)

WIP ENTRY ONE: I'm designing & staging new kicks for #TheGreatShoeCase and will use them in my xr projects (vr, ar, 360, animation, 3d) - the designs go with my own real world regalia too.

Designs are inspired by my ancestors / relatives (Onkwehone, Kanien'kehake, St. Regis Indian, Mohawk, Iroquois, Haudenosaunee, Laurentian and the many names people use throughout history and in recent times)

I placed leather (black) and painted white skydomes / dolomite / corn designs. I placed copper and painted it dark purple with light purple welding designs of skydomes / corn / and electricity streaks. I put some light purple electricity streaks on the black rubber sole. Black canvas ties with a dark purple copper coating. Pleides inside top ankle. Tree of life flower on outside top ankle.

The designs all go with my regalia that I hand beaded last year.

My Design Inspirations:

Bear Track on the back of the sneaker was added because I have a Black Bear visiting the forest where I hike this year. I dreamed of the Bear last night before I submitted my work for this competition and it had alot of great messages for learning, healing, improving and overcoming the many challenges that are going on today with the pandemic, colonization and the many painful changes & losses that almost caused me to not participate in this competition. Nia:wen to the Black Bear <3

I tried to keep the insoles simple (black leather) and a simple black rubber for the sneaker bottom, to put focus on the symbolism visuals that I painted everywhere. I really hope the visuals encourage conversations and bring nice reminders of important historical and cultural events & responsibilities.

Historical Iroquois Tattoos that some of my ancestors are known to have worn. The Dolomite tattoos inspired the symbology I designed for my sneakers:

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