About Us
We are a small beadwork and fibre arts business based out of the Mohawk reservation in Ontario, Canada called Kenhtè:ke, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and Tkaron:to.
In March 2014 I officially launched the Yarnhardt's brand selling our signature wampum mittens and various other knitted items on my reservation and other in person craft shows around Tkaron:to with my mom, Aunties and bestie.
On June 21st, 2019, Indigenous People's Day here in Canada, I was invited to attend a beading workshop where I learned traditional Indigenous beadwork techniques from a crew of Ojibwe Aunties. Since then, I've learned more techniques, learned about traditional materials and designs, and taught my mom, Auntie's, friends, and nieces how to bead!
I've had so much support from my community of Kenhtè:ke and the beading community that I've been able to feature my bead work to the world for sale. As a new beader (yes I still consider myself a new beader) I am absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of love I get for my work! It's something I never ever could have dreamed.
The end of 2022 I decided to rebrand my business and A'no:wara Beadwork was born. We are still knitting, and Yarnhardts will always be a familiar brand, but our creativity has taken us to a new direction that I can't wait to share!
Nia:wenkowa to everyone that has supported all of our work and gave us a platform to sell our creativty for you to enjoy!
- Jenna Barnhardt, Kanienkehaka Owner/Knitter/Beader
Jenna
Owner/Knitter/Beader
I am a proud turtle clan member of the Kenhtè:ke Tyenindaga Mohawks on the Bay of Quinte. I now live in Tkaron:to (Toronto) Ontario with my partner and fur baby Billie.
Along with being an artist, I am also a PhD student at York University in the Clinical Developmental Neuropsychology program. One day I hope to be one of the only practising Indigenous Neuropsychologists in North America.
I created Yarnhardts when I realized my passion for creating, and once I learned how to bead, I created A'no:wara Beadwork to honour my Kanienkehaka clan family and the people from my community who have supported me every step of the way.
Beadwork has brought me closer to who I am, and my family and I am excited to feature unique collections online and at pow wow's for everyone to enjoy!
Carla
"Made by Momma" Knitter/Beader
Carla is my mom, and is responsible for the knitted wampum mittens design (and all the mitten designs), the "Made by Momma" beadwork collections, and her famous corn soup and tarts back on the rez!
She's been an important part of the team and this business. Since learning to bead her skills have surpassed her teachers, and her speed for both beading and knitting is simply unmatched!
Ashton
Collab Partner - Beader @Nikaghun_Beadwork
Ashton & I became friends over Instagram many years ago. She is an Athabaskan native from Alaska and is the creative mind behind Nikaghun Beadwork. We started collabing every summer because she wanted to give her Canadian customers an opportunity to purchase her work more affordably, plus she hates the selling process and I love it. So it was a match made in heaven!
Check out all of Ashton's available work on her website www.nikaghunbeadwork.com, or follow her on Instagram for all of her updates and shop notifications @Nikaghun_Beadwork!
Alisa
Owner-Partner Yarnhardts/Knitter
Alisa learned how to knit in the fall of 2015 and since then has evolved into a serious powerhouse talent that has taken creativity to a whole new level! With her organic style and modern taste, she is a welcome addition to the Yarnhardts family!
Alisa is a native Romanian who moved to Canada when she was a small child. We met years ago through a mutual friend and became close friends once our love for knitting became aparent. I then passed on all my knowledge of knitting techniques to which Alisa caught on famously! As soon as she expressed an interest in knitting for the company, I did not spare any time in making her part of the team!
Since I have been keeping up with the incredible demand for beadwork Alisa has been a very important part of Yarnhardts and I cannot imagine running this business without her or her knitting talent!!
Together we enjoy exploring Ontario to attend artisan craft shows, and yarn expo's purchasing unique fibres and choosing modern colour combinations for our pieces! A great deal of thought and care goes into the planning, and construction of all of our orders. Whenever possible, we prioritize using organic Canadian fibres!