Melaw Nakehk'o is an actress, artist, traditional moose hide tanner, and co-founder of the

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

organization Dene Nahjo. She is primarily known for her role as the kidnapped

Arikara The Arikara ( ), also known as Sahnish,
''Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.'' (Retrieved Sep 29, 2011) ...

woman Powaqa in the 2015 film '' The Revenant''.

Early life

Nakehk'o is Dehcho and Denesuline

Dene The Dene people () are an Indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal, subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages and it is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term ...

, and was born in

Fort Simpson Fort Simpson (Slavey language: ''Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́'' "place where rivers come together") is a village, the only one in the entire territory, in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on an ...

in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

, Canada.

Acting career

''The Revenant'' was Nakehk'o's first film role. She was at the grocery store with her two young sons one Saturday morning when there was an open casting call in

Yellowknife Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of t ...

, Northwest Territories. "People kept texting me and telling me I should go do this thing," she said. When the grocery store clerk also told her to try out for the role, she went to the casting call, arriving an hour before it was over. For her audition, Melaw had to improvise a scene with other actors about trading furs for a horse. "I didn’t have to read anything; it was all just presence and just being badass," she said. In a radio interview, Nakehk'o said she was impressed with film director

Alejandro G. Iñárritu Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre (French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander ( Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (Russ ...

's ability to bring out her acting ability in the role of Powaqa, an Arikara woman who is kidnapped by French

fur trappers The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most ...

, as well as with his accurate portrayal of

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. She has also said that the brutality with which her character is treated in the movie reflects violence against indigenous women that is still going on today. For the red carpet premiere of the movie in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, she received media attention when she wore a dress that was a collaboration between

Metis Metis or Métis, meaning "mixed" in French, may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peopl ...

artist

Christi Belcourt Christi Marlene Belcourt (born September 24, 1966) is a Canadian visual artist and author. She is best known for her acrylic paintings which depict floral patterns inspired by Métis and First Nations historical beadwork art. Belcourt's work oft ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

-based house of

Valentino Valentino may refer to People * Valentino (surname), including a list of people with the name * Valentino (given name), including a list of people with the name Mononymous persons * Valentino (fashion designer) (born Valentino Clemente Ludovic ...

. "It was really important to be able to represent Indigenous designers at such a high level of fashion, because today there’s a lot of

cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or cultural identity, identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged. Such a controversy typically ari ...

with a lot of the huge fashion houses and people just being disrespectful wearing headdresses and Native American-inspired stuff," Nakehk'o stated.

Cultural activities

Nakehk'o is a visual artist who paints, sews and beads, as well as a traditional moose hide tanner based out of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. She has taught moosehide tanning at the Dechinta Bush University Center for Research and Learning. In 2012, she received a Minister's Cultural Award for "sharing the knowledge of her elders and for bringing a renewed interest to the art of moose hide tanning." She is a co-founder of Dene Nahjo, an organization that promotes leadership and social and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

for indigenous people of the northern territories.Dene Nahjo’s Melaw Nakehk’o makes Hollywood red carpet debut
. www.denenahjo.com

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakehko, Melaw Living people Canadian film actresses Canadian women painters First Nations actresses 21st-century Canadian textile artists Artists from the Northwest Territories Indigenous fashion designers of the Americas Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Canadian women textile artists Canadian fashion designers Dene people Canadian women fashion designers 21st-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian painters 21st-century First Nations artists 21st-century First Nations women