Tłı̨chǫ Arts sale returns to Yellowknife this Saturday

The annual Tłı̨chǫ Arts Holiday Sale and Showcase kicks off in Yellowknife at 10am on Saturday, with 38 Tłı̨chǫ artists selling beadwork, paintings, photographs and other art in the Chateau Nova’s Caribou Room.

“This show brings together Tłı̨chǫ artists from the four Tłı̨chǫ communities and connects them not only with enthusiastic Yellowknife holiday shoppers, but with each other,” said Susan Simpson, the Tłı̨chǫ Government’s manager of economic development.

“It’s a big part of what the Tłı̨chǫ traditional economy is all about.”

Tłı̨chǫ Government teas and fireweed syrup will be for sale. The showcase will bring back its Moccasin Trail initiative, where customers can enter to win a custom pair of moccasins, among other prizes. 

This is the fourth year in a row the event has been held, over which time it has grown significantly.

In 2025, the event saw nearly 3,000 customers walk through the doors and collectively spend around $142,000 on local art.

Mabel Huskey has participated in the showcase from the beginning, when she was one of just 10 artists selling at the holiday show back in 2022.

Huskey, who is from Behchokǫ̀, makes beaded moccasins, mukluks, gauntlets, earrings, broaches and change purses.

“It’s grown a lot,” she said of the sale. “And the beautiful work and amount of time, oh my gosh, those people put into their work? It’s a big thing for them and for the customers, too.”

Huskey has calculated it took more than 136 hours to bead a flower pattern on a pair of moosehide moccasins – not to mention the time to put the moccasins together and add beaver fur.

“I always want to do a great job, so I take my time – and I love beading,” she said.

She gives the Tłı̨chǫ Government and Tłı̨chǫ Arts credit for promoting artists and creating a space for them to sell their work.

“If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know, as artists, what could we have done,” she said. “I’m proud and happy that a lot of our people, young people, are selling their crafts.”

Organizers of the event say that is one of their main goals: to connect artists, particularly those from harder-to-access communities and Elders who might not use social media, with customers.

This will be acrylic painter Darrell Chocolate’s second time participating in the sale and showcase.

Chocolate is known for his wildlife paintings and portraits of people. He’s planning on bringing around 25 original pieces to the sale, and potentially some prints as well.

“It’s important to me to participate in cultural arts markets,” he said.

He said watching nearly 3,000 people stream through the doors of the sale last year was “overwhelming and exciting at the same time,” and he hopes even more people will show up this year.

Follow the Moccasin Trail to win

The sale and showcase is bringing back the Moccasin Trail initiative this year, giving people a chance to win a custom pair of moccasins by the artist of their choice (and other, smaller prizes).

To enter, grab a passport at the show and get it stamped at one or more of the four stations.

There is a station to sample the Tłı̨chǫ Government’s two teas and fireweed syrup, a station to get a photo with Santa, a station to try your hand at beading, and a station to play a Tłı̨chǫ Yatiı̀ (Tłı̨chǫ language) holiday-themed game.

Hourly draws will be held throughout the day (the show runs until 4:30pm) for fireweed syrup and tea prize packs, followed by a grand prize draw at the end of the day.

People do not have to be present at the time of the draws to win prizes.

New Tea of the Land for sale

Last year, the Tłı̨chǫ Government launched the syrup and a loose-leaf tea blend called Whaèhdǫǫ̀ lidì (Tea of Our Ancestors) made of Labrador tea, dried blueberries, dried cloudberries, dried raspberries, raspberry leaves, fireweed leaves, fireweed blossom and cloudberry leaves.

A second tea is being launched this year inspired by youth and the future. It’s called Dè Gǫlıd (Tea of the Land), made with raspberry leaves, fireweed leaves, tamarack needles, rose petals, rose hips, black spruce tips and dried blueberries.

“We couldn’t do this wonderful food production without our partnership with Laughing Lichen, who helps resource the coordination for us and provides their manufacturing facility for product production,” said Simpson.

Organizers expect the first few hours of the sale and showcase to be very busy – last year, the fireweed syrup sold out within the first two hours – before slowing down later in the afternoon.