Ayayat x Native Queens Design

A Dream Realized: The Launch of the Medicine Ledger Dress

Native Queens Design is thrilled to announce an incredible collaboration with Ayayat by artist and designer Keeli Littleleaf, introducing the Medicine Ledger Dress — a creation that transcends fashion and stands as a tribute to resilience, cultural heritage, and the power of healing.

The Medicine Ledger Dress, By Keeli Littleleaf

This dress's creation is just as unique as the concepts within. Ledger style paintings have been around for many years serving as a medium to depict life events from the artist's perspective. Traditional paintings contain courtships, acts of warfare, and the annual herd counts for the plains indigenous population. The oldest on stretched hides and skins. Historically as residential schools became prominent in the US and Canada indigenous students were forced to assimilate and adapt to European academics and systematic oppression. During this time the US government didn't want to spend funding on clean paper, so the children were given bank ledgers, accounting graphs and legal pads with writing already upon them, seen as a donation or charitable act. These creative individuals, despite the hardship of cultural loss brought a new life and resilience to the artform. A multidimensional, layered and beautiful aesthetic built from the ability to make the best of a dire situation.

The Jingle Dress dance is practiced across North America, the cones are a significant identification and detail that ties the medicine teachings together. Brough to the indigenous community from our Ojibwe & Anishinaabe relatives.  The sounds that cones produce bring prayer and healing to all who dance, experience or witness. It is said that the Jingle Dress was born from a dream. A dream that when pursued, lifted sickness, brought people together and carried rejuvenation to this day.

I have been on a healing journey since I could remember and bringing these elements together is a dream come true. I envision a work of art, I smell old paper, I think of paper dolls and how I would try to make them jingles or powwow ready. I think of my elders and thank them for the freedom to express myself in the form of fashion. This collaboration with Native Queen designs is a remarkable accomplishment. Native Queens seeks to uplift and support surrounding artists. Increasing access to affordable and culturally reflective modern fashion. I believe all indigenous women are queens, and deserve to feel fierce, beautiful and encouraged.

This dress is symbolic and fashion forward, with a simple and clean element. You will adorn yourself with quality materials and my free hand artwork. "Every cone is a prayer, and everyone is one answered."

 

Keeli Littleleaf: Ayayat


Keeli Littleleaf and association is titled (Ayayat) meaning beautiful in Keeli’s native language. The first part of her Indian name gifted to her from my aunties and family in Warmsprings Oregon. Ms Littleleaf is a multi-talented individual. Ms Leaf as many of her students know her as is an indigenous oral tradition consultant, educator, and preservation specialist. She graduated from Naya Early College academy with honors directly after representing Portland State University as Miss Naimuma 2017-2018, advocating for all indigenous students in the pursuit of higher education. Ms Leaf is an accomplished all-around Powwow dancer, with champion earnings in women’s contemporary Jingle Dress and Plateau High step short fringe women’s traditional. She is a lead performer in a professional dance company and does culture shares to inner city schools for indigenous representation, specializing in the traditional healing practices of the Jingle dress. She is a brilliant businesswoman, holding a 9-5 at Us Bank as a Commercial Vault teller, teaching dance classes to the children of SOESD and founding/directing/coordinating/coaching the Southern Oregon university Royalty program. Ms Littleleaf came back with an impressive feat. as Oregon’s first Indigenous women to hold the Miss Oregon Sweetheart 2023 title and crown. She was the first runner up for the national title, bringing home a huge platform for the “Beauty Empowers Change” project with monumental community support. In her downtime she has become a renowned beadwork artist, regalia, and couture designer. Ms. Leaf’s inspiration comes from a deep cultural knowledge, respect to customary beliefs and a hunger to create without limitations. “When i was younger I didn’t see a woman in media I would grow up to emulate, I saw everything else. Now I want to give other indigenous girls a voice in the beauty and fashion industry, so they feel proud and happy to grow into the powerful beings they will become. Free of shame, lateral oppression, and stereotypical prejudice.” -Keeli Littleleaf.

 Recently Ms. Leaf has cultivated The Northwest/West coast all indigenous fashion show, taking place at Spirit Mountain Casino July 25th. This event will be a showcase of all the incredible talent Oregon and surrounding areas have to offer, as they come together and explore indigenous perspectives. The opportunity serves stellar creators and invested artisans to broadcast the diverse range of fashion for all, all inclusive, body positive, indigenous. For some this is a huge break into the entertainment/ fashion/beauty industry that this vision is dedicated to. Keeli is resilient in efforts to support, encourage kindness and show unconditional compassion to any she cross paths with. Her art will always reiterate a story better than she can, invoking emotional response, connecting in some capacity. In February 2025 she will be hitting the runway, modeling in New York City for Nar Rew Ekar by Shoshoni Hostler.