Get a start on holiday shopping at the Indigenous Holiday Market

The ADAAWE Business Hub holds their annual Indigenous Holiday Market.

Shoppers in Ottawa will have the chance to get their hands on Indigenous goods and crafts at the Adaawe Indigenous Holiday Market in Centretown this weekend.

The event takes place at the Adaawe Indigenous Business Hub located at 338 Somerset Street West on Saturday, and three of the market’s vendors joined CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Thursday to show off some of the hand-made items they will have up for sale.

The Adaawe Indigenous Holiday Market runs on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nimkii

Those looking for some self-care goods, either for themselves or others, might be enticed by Nimkiii.

“Everything that I make is handcrafted and small batch. We are a self-care brand rooted in bath and beauty products,” owner of Nimkii Shannon Blue-Nanibush said.

According to Blue-Nanibush, Nimkii products are made with natural ingredients and organic essential oils.

“We make a luxurious bath oil. It makes your skin feel very expensive,” Blue-Nanibush said. “Then we have your skin quencher, which is a face serum. It’s made with frankincense and lavender –– my mother-in-law can not get enough of this. It’s one of our best sellers.”

Shoppers will also be able to find aromatic beard oils, oil balls, bath salts and simmer pot-packs, which Blue-Nanibush says will leave your houses smelling amazing for the holidays.

Tendesi Woodwork

What started as a hobby has turned into a full-time gig for Lance Cote-Tenasco, and shoppers will be able to find hand-crafted wood items at Tendesi Woodwork.

“We’ve been in business for about three years now,” Cote-Tenasco said. “We primarily work in white cedar, because cedar is one of our sacred medicines.”

Cote-Tenasco does the woodworking himself, and his cousin Liz Cote paints overtop.

“They’re all engraved and then painted upon after, they give kind of a 3D effect,” Cote-Tenasco.

In addition to larger pieces, Cote-Tenasco also makes small pieces designed to hang in a car, which can be custom made.

“They’re one-hundred percent customizable for anybody,” he said.

Cote-Tenasco says he’s collaborated with the Ottawa Senators to create Sens inspired woodworks.

Tendesi Air Fresheners

This sister-owned business creates hand-made air fresheners, featuring small paintings inspired by Indigenous stories.

“They’re all different air pieces that are based off Indigenous stories or Indigenous teachings that were taught to us from our grandparents,” says co-owner Drew Tenasco.

Each scent is chosen to match the painting, and some of the scents include forest, orange and lilac.

For Tenasco, who handles the painting of the air fresheners, working with her family makes the creative process all the easier.

“When I’m doing the art sometimes you don’t know if it’s looking good or bad, and they just tell me how it is, so it’s easier,” Tenasco said.

For more information on the Adaawe Indigenous Christmas Market, visit: https://ottawatourism.ca/en/event-calendar/adaawe-indigenous-holiday-market

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