marketplace
A fire of reciprocity, where every creation carries story, every purchase sustains culture, and every exchange keeps the flame burning for generations to come.
Connecting Art, Story, Community and Purpose
The VA Marketplace is more than a place of trade, it is a sacred space where culture, creativity, and connection converge through exchange. It moves with the rhythm of reciprocity, where the act of purchasing becomes an act of preservation, empowerment, and responsibility.Â
Every item here is not just something to own, it is something to carry. A thread in the great weave of creation, holding the knowledge of land, people, and story.
This is an exchange in the truest sense. A bridge, not just between buyer and seller, but between worlds. Between the past and the future, between tradition and innovation, between those who create with their hands and those who wish to carry that creation forward.
What you receive is not just what you hold in your hands, but what you carry in your spirit. You are not just supporting Indigenous artists – you are honouring a way of being that has always known how to sustain life in balance.
You are not just bringing something home – you are becoming part of the story.
Enter into relation, honor the hands that create, & become part of a story that stretches across time.Â
explore the marketplace
The VA Marketplace is a space to connect, to give back, and to carry forward the stories woven into each creation. Every item here is more than a product; it is a piece of knowledge, a thread in the great weave of culture and tradition, a continuation of something far older than commerce.
What we offer is not mass-produced, not stripped of meaning or context. Each piece – whether handcrafted textiles, intricate carvings, or limited edition prints – holds the hands of its maker, the whispers of its land, and the wisdom of its lineage.
Every purchase directly supports Indigenous artisans, storytellers, and creators, ensuring that their work is valued on their own terms, in ways that sustain their communities. And every exchange is more than a transaction – it is an act of reciprocity, a way of participating in the preservation and growth of Indigenous cultures, traditions, and economies.
featured works
Imagine you are watching a film, and you see a beautiful woven bag. You would like to support her, her art, and her community. But how can you purchase one? That is the core of the making this marketplace experiment, to help facilitate and connect the artist with the audience, allowing them to purchase directly authentic, handcrafted products directly from Native artisans and designers. We believe in the power of storytelling and recognize that each creation is rooted in a rich narrative, reflecting the history, culture, and traditions of Indigenous communities.
We aim to bridge the gap between consumers and creatives, by providing a space around this campfire to showcase their work and connect with a global audience.
Digital
Storytelling is evolving, but its essence remains unchanged. Our digital collections bring Indigenous narratives into the virtual space—whether through immersive experiences, digital prints, or online-exclusive works—ensuring that knowledge continues to flow in new ways.
Books
Words that hold weight, stories that reshape understanding, teachings that guide us back into relation. The books found here are not just to be read, but to be lived – carrying voices that need to be heard, preserving knowledge that must never be lost.
wear the storyÂ
Symbols, language, and patterns that hold meaning—woven into shirts, hoodies, and wearable pieces that carry the fire forward. More than fashion, this is a way of keeping the story alive, walking with it, and sharing it wherever you go.
arts & prints
Every print, every painting, every carving is a window into a world of meaning. These are not just images; they are echoes of place, spirit, and story, created by Indigenous and allied artists who see through the eyes of connection.
donations
By supporting businesses, especially those from underserved communities, the program contributes to economic growth. It creates jobs, stimulates local economies, and fosters entrepreneurship.
carrying the story forward
When you hold something from the Marketplace, you’re holding more than an object – you’re holding a relationship. Every creation carries the spirit of its maker, the whispers of the land it came from, and the stories of the ancestors who passed down the knowledge to create it.
In many Indigenous traditions, objects are not separate from their makers or their origins – they are extensions of them. A woven basket might hold more than fruit; it holds the memory of the plant it came from, the hands that shaped it, and the patterns that guide its design. When you purchase such a piece, you become part of its story, carrying it forward and weaving it into your own life.
The Marketplace embodies the principle of reciprocity. By purchasing or donating, you’re not just supporting a network – you’re helping preserve traditions, amplify voices, and sustain communities for generations to come.
When you buy from the Marketplace, you’re not just acquiring a product; you’re investing in a story, a culture, and a future. This is how we build bridges – between the artist and the audience, between tradition and modernity, and between intention and impact.
This is your chance to be a part of the story
Beyond Commerce, Into Connection. Building Embassy through a sharing economy.
Every purchase made here is a direct investment in cultural survival. It ensures that knowledge keepers can continue to pass down their traditions. It means a young weaver has the resources to learn from her grandmother, a carver can afford to gather materials from his ancestral land, and a community can maintain its craft without being forced to choose between survival and heritage.
This is not just about preserving culture—it is about empowering it to grow. The Marketplace does not treat Indigenous art as a relic; it sees it as a living, breathing expression of identity, innovation, and resilience. It is about ensuring that Indigenous creators do not just have a place in the market, but that they are valued on their own terms, without dilution, without distortion.
100% of all proceeds go back to the people, communities, and causes that need them most. This is not just ethical commerce; it is a practice of accountability, of ensuring that what is given is returned in balance.
Real impact is not measured in profits – it is measured in the hands that keep working, the stories that keep being told, and the communities that continue to thrive.
vessel of knowledge, woven with memory, culture, and resilience – offered not for possession, but for those who understand the responsibility of carrying story forward.
Carrying Story. Carry The future.
In the VA Marketplace, every piece is more than an object – it is a vessel of story, a thread in the great weave of creation. Each handcrafted textile, carved artifact, and woven design carries the wisdom of its maker, the memory of its origin, and the resilience of its people. Cultural tools and objects are crafted with intention, honoring tradition while remaining rooted in the present. Prints and photography capture moments through Indigenous and allied eyes, framing perspectives of land, spirit, and identity. Limited edition collaborations, created in partnership with the NGARRA Project and VA Network storytellers, hold the power of shared vision, while exclusive merchandise and collector’s items remind us of our role as caretakers of the fire. Every creation that enters this space is chosen with care, carried in right relation, and shared with the consent and blessing of the communities who made them – offered not for extraction, but for those who understand the responsibility of holding such works.
transforming storytelling into action, cycling resources back into communities, sustaining knowledge, and ensuring that every voice, every tradition, and every ember from this fire fuels real-world change for generations to come.
The Fire that gives back
Stories are not just told; they move, they ripple, they shape the world long after the last word is spoken. The Marketplace is more than a platform – it is a living, breathing system of reciprocity, ensuring that every story shared ignites real-world change. Every ember that rises from this fire carries something tangible back to the land, back to the people, back to the communities that hold the knowledge we are all learning from.
For us we measure our impact in hands that keep working, the voices that keep speaking, the traditions that keep thriving because they are supported, valued, and sustained. Every film, every collection, every project on this network does more than inform – it builds, it funds, it nurtures, and it returns.
The VA Network is built on reciprocity – give-give, napagi-napagi. Every story shared fuels something greater, cycling resources back into Indigenous communities to fund grassroots initiatives, cultural preservation, and sustainable futures. We invest in the storytellers and the spaces that hold them, supporting conservation projects, language revitalization, scholarships, and infrastructure that ensures knowledge is not only preserved but continues to thrive. This is more than storytelling – it is action, it is relationship, it is a fire that burns for the future, ensuring that what is given returns, stronger, deeper, and lasting for generations to come.
This is what impact looks like; not in words, but in action. Not in numbers, but in the lives that are changed. This is what happens when we remember our place, when we step into relation, when we choose to give back. This is how we build a future worth inheriting.
Step into an ancient system of reciprocity, where giving and receiving are one and the same, where wealth is not measured in what is kept but in what is shared.
Your purchase is a bridge. It means a grandmother can teach her grandchild the art that once sustained their ancestors, without fear that survival will steal them away from their craft. It means a carver can gather the right wood from Country, honoring the land instead of being forced to take what is easiest, what is cheapest. It means a weaver’s hands can keep moving, shaping, storytelling – because they are valued, because their work is seen, because the world has chosen to listen.
This is how culture lives – not in museums or books, but in hands that keep creating, in voices that keep speaking, in traditions that adapt, shift, and grow while still holding their roots strong in the soil of time.
When you shop in the Marketplace, you are not just acquiring an item – you are investing in a future where Indigenous knowledge is not just preserved, but thriving. You are ensuring that the makers, the storytellers, and the wisdom keepers have the means to continue their work, to pass it on, to shape the next generation.
From the artists whose hands shape these works, from the communities whose traditions are strengthened, and from all of us who believe in the fire of storytelling – thank you. Because of you, this fire burns brighter, reaching further, illuminating paths that would otherwise remain unseen.
special thanks
None of this is possible alone. The VA Marketplace exists because of those who believe in the power of story, the importance of culture, and the necessity of reciprocity. To our major sponsors and partners – your support is more than financial; it is a commitment to the communities, artists, and knowledge keepers whose work and wisdom shape this space.
Because of you, we are not just selling art – we are sustaining livelihoods. We are not just offering products – we are ensuring traditions endure. Every thread woven, every image captured, every carving made carries the weight of generations, and your support ensures that these traditions are not only preserved but empowered to grow.
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