Quannah Chasinghorse - Américaine - 1m74 - 90/60/90
Agence
IMG
Elle Usa
Décembre 2021
Nathaniel Goldberg
Vogue Usa
Octobre 2021
Jackie Nickerson
Quannah Chasinghorse Is On a Mission The 19-year-old model is a warrior for her culture and the land her people have inhabited for thousands of years. What people might notice first about Quannah Chasinghorse is the Indigenous history she wears on her face. I do, too, because her screen—she’s joined from Paris, where she’s walking at Fashion Week—cuts off the top of her head. I see her narrow chin, her face tattoo, and her beaded earrings by Athabaskan artist Melanie Titus. Chasinghorse is dressed in a white mesh top, burgundy bralette, and black pants. She looks like a model in streetwear, but she also looks like so many rez girls I know and love: tough and sweet. When she adjusts the screen, she smiles, and her whole face is bright and genuine.
Chasinghorse was 14 when she received her first Yidi?i?ltoo, a traditional face tattoo done by her people. Her mother did it for her. The tattoo was a rite of passage she could have received at a younger age, but she decided to wait until she was old enough to defend it, “because I knew that if people knew I got [it] younger, they wouldn’t have accepted me. Like, ‘A 12-year-old with a tattoo on her face?’” She smirks at the ignorance she’s encountered.
Some people don’t like the limelight, but it seems that Chasinghorse has been preparing for this her whole life. The 19-year-old model is a warrior for her culture and the land her people have inhabited for thousands of years. She’s Ha¨n Gwich’in and Sicangu Oglala Lakota. Raised by strong matriarchs, she’s a fourth-generation land protector for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in her home state of Alaska. Her mother, Jody Potts-Joseph, has worked for cultural reclamation since before Chasinghorse was born, and frequently took her dog mushing when she was a child. At this past Fashion Month, Chasinghorse appeared on the runways of Chloe´, Savage x Fenty, Gabriela Hearst, and Prabal Gurung, and became the first Indigenous woman to walk for Chanel, tweeting that the experience “[made] me feel comfortable, seen, and beautiful!” For many Native Americans, and Indigenous people across the globe, this much light falling on a fierce advocate for our issues makes us feel seen, too.
As for her distinctive tattoo, Chasinghorse is the first girl in her tribe to reclaim the tradition as young as she did, and it was the first tattoo her mother had ever done (she has tattooed many Indigenous people since, including land protector and Reservation Dogs star Dallas Goldtooth). Traditionally, a tattoo would be given to a Ha¨n Gwich’in girl between the ages of 12 and 14 to mark her passage into womanhood. Missionaries banned the practice in the 19th and 20th centuries, along with many traditions and languages. The vertical lines down Chasinghorse’s chin represent a reclamation of a culture once shamed, and they make her look like a warrior when she walks the runway or defends the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Capitol Hill or drops a “Sacred Lands Not for Sale” banner in Times Square with a raised fist. At every possible opportunity, she finds a way to advocate for the land and her people. “I grew my platform through my advocacy work, through being a land and water protector and showing up,” she says. “That’s what got me attention and started my career. Being able to live my dream and continue that important work is all I could ever ask for.”
“It all started when I was really young,” she adds. In seventh grade, she convinced her school to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day by showing up to a meeting the school board was trying to keep under wraps and speaking out forcefully enough to change minds and get an elder from her community on board. Chasinghorse and other Native kids celebrated by coming to school on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in their regalia and moccasins. “I’ve never been that proud of being Native in my life,” she recalls. “I was so proud to be who I was.”
Chasinghorse knows the importance of a single voice at the right time and place. Some protectors and warriors are called to do different work, depending on their skill set, and it seems Chasinghorse is meant for fame and the platform that comes with it. Her looks are more than striking; they’re proudly Indigenous, and the fashion world seems ready for us, finally. While Natives and Native imagery have long been fetishized in fashion, this feels different. Here is a young woman with a voice, and the intelligence and agency to celebrate her culture in an authentic way, being celebrated in campaigns and on the runway.
She speaks with a wisdom that comes from a direct connection to her land and her people. She tells me about her ties, about her people’s potlatch ceremonies that help to guide loved ones into the spirit world (a traditional feast or gathering once banned by both the Canadian and U.S. governments), and all the ways her mother and aunties have helped her stay true to Indigenous beliefs and traditions. And she talks about her place in the climate movement. While young activists like Greta Thunberg have brought attention to the climate crisis, “There are always Indigenous people showing up, doing the work, and I don’t think we get enough recognition... Our voices are constantly being pushed away because people don’t take us seriously,” she says. “We’ve always been a stereotype, a mascot. We’ve always been not seen as real humans. Being a part of that change and encouraging other Indigenous youth to step up and use our voices, but also to be proud of who we are, is what motivates me. It keeps me wanting to keep doing what I’m doing.”
When she talks about her modeling work or representing Indigenous people at the Met Gala, she’s happy, but when she talks about the land and her people, she beams. She tells me about her first caribou kill, another rite of passage she’s reclaimed. Her uncle had just passed away, and she and her family were driving his body home to rest. “It was such a beautiful night by the time we got to the summit, which is way above the tree line. It’s very beautiful; there’s just mountains. We got to the top and we had like 30 miles left to go to our village. Out of nowhere we were surrounded by caribou, and our uncle was in the back of our truck in his casket. Where we were, where the caribou came to us, was his family’s land back then, so it was such a ‘wow’ moment. We were able to get three caribou to bring back to the village, and I got my first caribou that night.”
BEAUTY TIP: Dip a dampened brush into Ah-Shi Beauty’s Eye Shimmer in Dusk ($28) to intensify its shine, then apply. That might seem like just a hunting story to a non-Native, but to an NDN like me it’s a sign; it’s a sacred thing for many—the meat goes to the people and feeds a community, and providing that meat is an honor Chasinghorse could finally fulfill. Without the caribou, her people don’t have tradition, or a way of life they still depend on. Chasinghorse will tell you about the land and how, on her hunts since, she’s noticed insects not native to Alaska. She’s smart enough to tell you how the world is changing, how people she knows are being displaced by ice melt and the thawing of the permafrost in her home state, how communities are being ravaged by climate change. She can speak to how life is changing faster than we can comprehend, and she’s pragmatic enough to tell us what we can do to help. It’s time to listen to her, and the Indigenous people who have been telling the truth for thousands of years about this land and what we have left to protect.
bio: Quannah ChasingHorse, age 19 is from the Han Gwich’in from Eagle Village, Alaska and Sicangu/Oglala Lakota tribes from the Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota but currently lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. She grew up learning her ways of life and values and continues to uphold them as they are sacred and keeps her grounded. She is an Indigenous land protector for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, protecting those sacred lands from oil development and fighting for climate justice. Quannah’s deep connection to the lands and her people’s way of life guides and informs everything she does and stands for. She is passionate about Indigenous sovereignty/rights, MMIWG and representation. She is an avid snowboarder, guitar and ukulele player, and is apprenticing as a traditional Indigenous tattoo artist. Quannah was honored to make the 2020 list of Teen Vogue’s “Top 21 under 21”. She is an IMG Fashion Model and Actress.
Entre Kim Kardashian vêtue de noir et la robe XXL de Billie Eilish, elle aurait presque pu passer inaperçue. Pourtant, Quannah Chasinghorse, 19 ans, était sans doute l’une des invitées les plus mémorables du Met Gala 2021, qui avait lieu le 13 septembre à New York. La jeune femme, mannequin mais pas que, a en effet fait sensation dans une robe lamée Peter Dundas, accessoirisée de bijoux turquoise. De quoi embraser les internautes, qui ont très vite cherché à en savoir plus sur cette anonyme qui a, pour son premier Met Gala, définitivement marqué les esprits. Twitter content To honor your privacy preferences, this content can only be viewed on the site it originates from. Une jeune femme engagée Longs cheveux bruns, yeux en amande, et tatouages traditionnels : l’allure de Quannah Chasinghorse ne s’oublie pas. Originaire des tribus Gwich’in d’Eagle Village (Alaska) et Sicangu/Oglala Lakota de la réserve Rosebud (Dakota du Sud), la jeune femme de 19 ans réside actuellement à Fairbanks, dans l’Alaska.
Et n’a pas attendu de taper dans l’œil de la mode pour faire entendre sa voix. Très impliqué dans la lutte contre le changement climatique, c’est, comme toute millennial qui se respecte, via les réseaux sociaux que la jeune femme s’est fait un nom. En 2020, elle était ainsi en première ligne dans la bataille pour la conservation de l’Arctic National Wildlife Refuge en Alaska, un écosystème vaste de plus de 8 millions d’hectares, aujourd’hui encore menacé par l’extraction de combustibles fossiles. Parka sur les épaules, bonnet enfoncé sur la tête et mégaphone à la main, la jeune femme avait mené sans faiblir les nombreuses manifestations organisées pour protéger ce lieu naturel. Instagram content To honor your privacy preferences, this content can only be viewed on the site it originates from. Sa mère, Jody Potts, directrice régionale du Native Movement et membre du conseil d’administration de l’Alaska Wilderness League, est à ses côtés dans ce combat qui mène le duo d’une côte à l’autre des États-Unis. « J’ai grandi en voyant ma mère travailler si dur pour son peuple – elle m’a appris qu’il n’y a pas de honte à s’exprimer », confie d’ailleurs Quannah Chasinghorse dans le numéro d’octobre 2021 de Vogue, qui lui consacre un long portrait.
C’est aussi sa mère qui lui a tatoué, à la main, comme le veut la tradition, les motifs que porte le jeune mannequin sur le visage. Ces derniers, qui sont appelés Yidiiltoo, sont là pour commémorer les événements de sa vie : « Les lignes représentent le dépassement de traumatismes générationnels », explique-t-elle à Vogue, qui rappelle que les Yidiiltoo étaient interdits au cours des derniers siècles. « Pouvoir remettre en avant [les tatouages] est quelque chose de puissant – on se sent responsable en sachant que l’on perpétue une tradition qui était censée être effacée. » Quand mode et activisme ne sont pas incompatibles Aujourd’hui, c’est par le biais de la mode que Quannah Chasinghorse met en lumière son héritage. En 2020, elle est repérée par Calvin Klein, qui en fait l’une des stars de sa campagne invitant la jeune génération à aller voter aux présidentielles américaines. Quelques mois plus tard, la voilà qui signe au sein de la prestigieuse agence IMG Models, faisant peu à peu tomber les barrières d’une industrie qui n’avait jusqu’alors que peu de considération pour le peuple indigène. De quoi ouvrir la voie à d’autres jeunes femmes qui, comme Quannah Chasinghorse, ont toujours cultivé une passion pour la mode sans pour autant s’y retrouver. « J’étais obsédée par les défilés de mode à la télévision – Dior, Chanel, Prada – et je posais toujours pour des photos », confie-t-elle ainsi à Vogue. Mais, manque de représentation oblige, « il était vraiment difficile pour moi de sentir que j’avais le potentiel pour être un mannequin. » Mercredi 8 septembre, c’est pour le créateur de mode népalais Prabal Gurung que Quannah Chasinghorse foulait pour la première fois le podium de la Fashion Week new-yorkaise, vêtue d’une incroyable robe en plumes vertes et roses. L’Uruguayenne Gabriela Hearst, qui présente à New York sa propre griffe en plus d’être la directrice artistique de Chloé, a ensuite fait appel au jeune mannequin pour ouvrir et fermer son défilé printemps-été 2022. Lundi 13 septembre, c’est au gala du Met qu’elle a fait sensation, arborant fièrement ses tatouages traditionnels et une rivière de bijoux amérindiens mêlant argent massif et turquoise. De quoi mettre en lumière son héritage et prouver que, plus que jamais, la nouvelle génération sait jongler entre activisme et divertissement sans perdre de vue ses objectifs.