Tia Wood featured in Vogue: The Cree and Salish Singer Fusing Music and Style

By UNITY Inc. News UNITY Conference June 11, 2021

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by CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE December 13, 2020
According to Vogue: “TikTok is largely dominated by trending songs, dance challenges, and, overall, embracing creativity, but it’s not as well known for its fashion scene. That being said, a stylish community is forming on the app—and Vogue is here to find the most inspiring, and most stylish, creators.”

This week’s must-follow account is Tia Wood (@tiamiscihk), a 21-year-old singer and creator based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wood champions her Cree and Salish cultures on the app, using it as a platform to educate others about her people’s history and traditions, through singing, informational videos, and doing Indigenous takes on popular TikTok trends (she recently took on the “Face Zoom” trend, popularized by Bella Poarch, in full Native regalia). Since joining the app in March, Wood has now collected more than 1.6 million fans.

“I had TikTok for a long time before I started really posting. I used to post a singing video here and there, not thinking much about it,” Wood says. “But once I posted my first ‘Make It Indigenous’ video and witnessed that crazy response from people from all around the world, it was like an awakening, because I never thought people outside my Indigenous community would appreciate the intertwining of the two [Cree and Salish] styles.” Integral to her appeal is the intricate regalia she wears: Wood grew up as a jingle dress dancer, therefore owns a wardrobe full of jingle dresses (which are embellished with metal cones), ribbon skirts, and other traditional wear that’s often worn to powwows. In a recent video, inspired by a Harry Potter house-sorting trend, she showcased these striking pieces.

TikTok: Courtesy of @tiamiscihk

Woods grew up on Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada, where she quickly picked up singing and dancing, often performing with her family on the powwow trail. In both of Wood’s Cree and Salish cultures, singing is often performed to the beat of a drum and performed in their traditional languages. On TikTok, Wood will sing songs her father composed or pieces she wrote herself. She’s one of many Indigenous creators on TikTok who is proudly championing her culture, such as Cree dancer James Jones, who brings powwow dancing and educational videos to the app with more than 2 million fans.

Below, Wood talks how she learned to sing and dance, what her regalia wardrobe looks like, and which of her TikToks took the longest to make.

1. How has your Cree and Salish culture shaped you?

Growing up as both Cree and Salish was such a blessing, because I got to learn about two very different tribes and teachings, and combine them into one. In my mom’s tribe (Salish), women are allowed to touch drums, but in some of my dad’s tribe (Cree), they are not. Also, the food is amazing from both tribes! Salish has fish and berries, and Crees have moose, duck, deer, and rabbit, so I guess you can say I had the best of both worlds.

TikTok: Courtesy of @tiamiscihk

2. How has your content evolved on TikTok?

My videos were just for fun at first, but once I started gaining a following, I started noticing the lack of awareness among non-Indigenous people. Things such as cultural appropriation and issues happening inside the Indigenous community, and stereotypes in the mainstream media. So I began making content that was dedicated to educating about those topics.

3. What’s your process for creating TikToks?

The process is super different with each video. Usually for the singing ones, I scroll until I hear a beat that I think I could work with, and I’ll make like six different videos with different melodies until I find the one that fits the best. When it comes to all the other videos, I usually just wing it, unless it’s inspired by another creator! But whenever I scroll through TikTok, I always try to think, How can I make this trend Indigenous? How can I incorporate the culture into it?

4. We do love that you put an Indigenous twist on TikTok fashion trends. What do you think will be your next trend that you do?

It’s hard to say because whenever I do an Indigenized trend, it’s usually super random, and I never really plan out my videos ahead of time. But I’m loving all the rising Indigenous fashion brands like B.Yellowtail, Jamie Okuma, Lauren Good Day, and many more out there I haven’t even discovered yet, who are bridging the gap between Indigenous regalia and tradition with what it looks like to be a modern Indigenous woman in 2020 and beyond. I like to think that I am bridging the same gap in my music creation, and I hope to work with all of these fashion designers and stylists for my singles and album photo shoots, further social content, and music video treatments in the future.

5. Why do you think it’s important to share your Indigenous culture on a platform like TikTok?

It’s so important to share because, growing up as a young Indigenous girl, I have never seen people that look like me in the media. I have never seen people that came from where I come from in the magazines or on the radio. For me (and I’m sure many others), it’s so important to have that representation because it shows young Indigenous kids that they are capable of being anything they want and going wherever they desire in life, regardless of where they came from or the color of their skin. As for the teachings, it’s important because a lot of kids don’t have access to resources to learn more about themselves or their culture, but what do they have access to? Their phones and TikTok. We’re not only teaching our own Indigenous peoples, but also people from all walks of life as well who may not know the very basics of the culture.

6. When and how did you learn to sing? You seem to come from a family of singers.

I have been singing ever since I could talk. I grew up in a family of singers, such as Northern Cree, Randy Wood, and Fawn Wood, and both my parents are singers as well. It was inevitable to pick up. When we were little, it was normal to hear powwow, peyote, handgame, and poetry in the background, whether we were crafting, eating dinner, or playing outside. My parents introduced us to the songs and poetry of Kevin Yazzie, Louie Gonnie, John Trudell, A. Paul Ortega, and many drum groups. My mom was actually a part of an all-girls drum group at a time when it wasn’t really accepted, so I feel like that had a huge impact on why and how my sisters and I sing. We also would do a lot of shows as a family, as a way to practice and put food on the table as a tribe of six.

7. You’re also a dancer! Did you grow up on the powwow trail?

I dance Old Style Jingle. It’s a healing dance that came from the Ojibwa people. I started dancing ever since I could walk. Both of my parents danced. I didn’t dance for awhile between the ages of five to eight, but one night after coming home from a powwow, where I watched the women’s Jingle category and witnessed Leah Omeasoo, Cyrina Baptiste, and Lacy Albert all gracefully dance. They all looked so beautiful and proud. I told my mom I wanted to be out there, so I can feel beautiful and proud too. My sisters stayed up all night and they made me a dress and accessories. After that, my mom and I started traveling all across Turtle Island to powwows. Sometimes sleeping in our tiny little vehicle, sometimes with just enough money in our pockets to make it home. I’ve met a lot of people whom I consider my family and lifelong friends from powwow. Powwow will always be my second home, and I will continue to dance until I can’t anymore.