Tansi everyone, Alina here, contributor and editor of Indiginerds. I just wanted to say a BIG kinanâskomitin to you all! Together, we’ve not only secured funding for our project, but shown the world that there’s a lot of interest in Indigenous-led projects! That’s so important in an industry where our tales don’t get told with authentic voices, and where we are seen as “niche” or “not mainstream enough to fly”.
But the work doesn’t stop here. As with other ICC projects, the more money we raise for this project, the more goes straight to our artists and writers.
I know Spike has already given you a preview of our upcoming stretch goals, but I wanted to talk about them more in depth. We’ve also discussed switching a few of them, so that we can start giving back to the community sooner rather than later. Let’s take a look!
$30,000 – IRON ON PATCHES: These high-quality embroidered patches will look amazing on your battle jacket! They'll be $20 each, or $85 for the full set. Our artists have made five amazing designs for you:
Indiginerd: Show off your Indiginerd pride with this gorgeous patch, inspired by Anishinaabe/Metis beadwork patterns. Designed by Nipinet Landsem.
Vaporwave Eagle: Tradish meets high tech with this vaporwave inspired eagle patch. Designed by Alina Pete.
Gise’g (We’re having fun!): This patch features the Mi’kmaq word for “We’re having fun!”, and shows a gaming setup surrounded by a braid of sweetgrass. Perfect for the gamer in your life, regardless of background! Designed by Rhael McGregor.
Horse Shield: This shield is carried by the hero of the story “Saving Throws”, and celebrates the strength and vitality of mistatim, our brother, the horse. Designed by Sam "mushki" Medlock.
Skoden/Stoodis: Show off your retro gaming chops with this classic RPG inspired patch! Designed by Jordanna George.
$35,000 – INDIGENOUS LIBRARY DONATIONS! One of the central tenets of Indigenous life is giving back to and supporting our communities, so this stretch goal is very important to all of us involved with this project. That’s why we’ve decided to move it earlier in the stretch goals list, so that we’ll be able to reach it sooner.
When we hit this stretch goal, we will be sending FREE copies of Indiginerds to Indigenous libraries, community centers and schools across the US and Canada.
This also means that each and every one of you who backs this project will be ensuring that Indigenous youth get to see themselves represented in a positive and healthy way, and that kids who might not normally have access to mainstream libraries still get a copy of this book in their hands!
$40,000 – FANCY COVER UPGRADE: Gloss! Embossing? Holo-foil? The amazing cover drawn by Brit “holoske” Newton would look fabulous with any of the above! We'll add a nice enhancement to the cover of Indiginerds when we hit this stretch goal! What better way to show off our radical Indig or ally selves than with some extra bling?
$50,000 - AN 11" X 17" TREK SPLASH POSTER! Like Cree art and Star Trek aliens? Well, my comic Dorvan V features both! I hope we hit this level because I’d love to see this one on my wall!
I’m also going to second Spike’s words about continuing to spread the word about this project however you can. Indigenous folks are underplatformed generally (though we’re making strides with tiktok, Twitch and Insta!), so having allies out there ready to signal boost our projects is so vitally important! And, in this uncertain social media landscape, it’s often best to post on more than one outlet at a time, since who knows what the algorithm is suppressing at any given time.
Thanks again for all your support! I know we can move mountains when we all work together, and this campaign is just more proof of that. Kinanâskomitin!
