Boozhoo! My name is Aydrian James Day and I’m from Peshawbestown, Michigan. I represent the Hochunk, Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi and Lakota Nations. I’m 14 years old and have been beading since I was 7 years old. My Mom first showed me how to bead when I was 3 but I started getting serious when I was 7. Since then I have beading and sewing parts of my outfits but never the whole regalia. I’m really excited to show who I am through my regalia. Beading, sewing, singing and dancing are important to me because it’s our way of revitalizing our Indigenous life ways and carrying them on for future generations. My Dad reminds me that only 2 years before he was born that our people weren’t able to celebrate our traditional ways in public. It is our responsibility to learn and strengthen our ways to show our gratitude for everything our relatives went through to hold onto our ways. They knew that our ceremonies and celebrations mattered and that our people mattered.