Announcing the Niniijaanis One of Ones Exclusive Producer – Misiziibii; Native American Products by Native Americans

By Brook LaFloe with contributions from Bradley Harrington

Misiziibii- Ojibwe for Mississippi River, is a life source and a popular trade route historically and still to this day.  Misiziibii has provided life for Native Americans since the beginning of time from the Northern Lakes of Minnesota to the Southern Bayous of Louisiana. Misiziibii.com is here to promote Native Artists and their products.

Bradley Harrington- Nazhike-awaasang, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, is the founder & operator at Misiziibii.com. Bradley explains the inspiration behind Misiziibii; "When I would shop, I would throw random google searches to try to find indigenous artists and native businesses to purchase from. I noticed my shopping on Amazon was effortless. I was able to shop by category and item and store. I thought of how cool it would be to just be able to shop around and discover Indigenous made items…... That's why I started Misiziibii.com"

We are excited to announce our partnership with Misiziibii as our exclusive producer and brand supplier for Niniijaanis One of Ones brand products. Happy to break up with our original supplier- Shutterfly inc., we have been hoping to find the right Native-owned supplier to take its place. As we directly support Native Artists and children, we also believe in supporting other Native owned enterprises/businesses and doing so with our pockets. This was a great opportunity for us to do so. At Niniijaanis One of Ones, we know that when we circulate money and resources within our Native communities, the return on investment in each other is far greater than individual gain. Rather we know, working together grows the Indigenous economy and takes care of everyone in our communities.

Prior to COVID, minority markets in the US had $3.9 trillion in buying power. Native Americans, 1.3% of the US population, had $115 billion in buying power in 2018, a 185% increase since 2000. Likewise, American Indian- and Alaska native-owned businesses grew 15% from 2007 to 2012—five times more than the total number of all U.S. business growth. (The Multicultural Economy, 2018, University of Georgia).

Contrary to the disparity mindset, Native communities are growing in entrepreneurial spirit and activity. As our Native population and self-sufficiency continue to grow, it’s important that our support for one another grows too. Buy Native. Support Native family businesses. Do your business with other Native businesses when possible. The wealth of communities of color and Native communities lies in reputation, social networks, and manpower supplied by relatives and friends. When cash is unavailable or in short supply, these are the assets that matter. It is even more important now with the current global pandemic and COVID-19 crisis that we be good relatives to each other and do what we can to take care of each other. The growth and sustainability of Native-owned businesses and economies will provide more stability in our communities for generations to come.

Rather than a competition mindset, we must learn to have a growth mindset. Bradley reflects on his teachings; “What I have learned is that traditional indigenous economic groups relied on what one entity was doing that complimented the other.” Thus, highlighting what each brings to the table and how they complement one another would be mutually beneficial. Therefore we must find ways to strategically partner, to work in consensus for the greater benefit of our community, and to remember that we never survived in silos but that this is how we used to collaborate.

We are happy to announce Misiziibii as the Niniijaanis One of Ones Exclusive Producer and Brand Supplier. Although we will start our partnership with Misiziibii screen-printing, future possibilities are endless. They also sell Artist collections, have gallery space, a studio and other Native made products, so we encourage everyone to shop or visit with our partner at Misiziibii.com. We hope to announce future collaborations, pop-up shops, artist showcases and more as the times permit. COVID-19 may keep us apart but we are still building together.

View our first brand collaborations:

Limited Edition Memengwaa Bandana

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Limited Edition Nibi Bottle

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Limited Edition Memengwaa Bandana — Niniijanis One of Ones (niniijaanis1of1s.com)

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Limited Edition Nibi Bottle — Niniijanis One of Ones (niniijaanis1of1s.com)