Meet Shauna White Bear, moccasin maker

When Shauna White Bear started working in retail at Carter’s Boots and Repair in Bozeman, Montana, she was fascinated by the happenings in the back of the store. Behind the scenes, men would repair, polish and resole shoes.

“The guys,” as White Bear calls them, ultimately taught her how to repair shoes, but “simple repairs weren’t my thing,” White Bear said.

Instead, White Bear wanted to make things. When her boyfriend at the time wanted a pair of hunting moccasins, White Bear thought, “Why don’t I give it a go?”

White Bear found some bison leather and a pattern and made her first pair. White Bear said her then-boyfriend didn’t seem to appreciate the gift. They broke up soon after, but White Bear’s passion for moccasin making remained.

It didn’t take long for White Bear to become consumed by moccasins. She wanted to perfect her craft so each pair was better than the last.

White Bear, who is Arikara and Hidatsa, grew up in Tacoma, Washington. When she was younger, White Bear said she didn’t feel connected to her Native identity.

“There was such a separation,” she said. “I was growing up in the suburbs, where the majority is white kids, and then having the last name White Bear. That’s the hardest part, as a small, timid, quiet child that didn’t look like everybody else and had a weird last name.”

But as White Bear grew older, she began to appreciate her heritage. She wore moccasins and wanted to learn more about her culture. She and her family moved to Three Forks in 2001, and White Bear said she immediately felt connected to the area, which she said happens to be where the Arikara once hunted.

White Bear, who is now 39, started staying late at Carter’s so she could make moccasins after working a full-time shift. A pair of White Bear’s moccasins were on display in the window at Carter’s, and some customers found her work through Instagram. Even just by word of mouth, orders were keeping White Bear busy. Soon, White Bear scaled back her hours at the store so she could devote more time to making moccasins in the back.

When White Bear joined a friend on a trip to Los Angeles, she reached out to Bethany Yellowtail, a Northern Cheyenne fashion designer who lives in the area. White Bear knew it was a long shot, but she wanted to stop by and hopefully meet Yellowtail. A staff member explained that people couldn’t simply stop by, but they also scrolled through White Bear’s Instagram, and were immediately interested in her work.

“They said, ‘Would you be interested in being part of our collective?’” White Bear recalled, referencing Yellowtail’s platform that shares handmade Native goods. “I was like, ‘Uh yeah!’”

White Bear was nervous. She feared she wasn’t skilled enough to join. But Yellowtail soon shared White Bear’s work and information on her Instagram, which has 196,000 followers, and White Bear’s business exploded.

“I was overwhelmed with orders,” she said. White Bear was so busy, she couldn’t answer emails or other messages for new orders. She needed help.

White Bear was making moccasins full-time now, still using the back room of Carter’s after hours. She decided to hire four college-age Indigenous girls with varying levels of experience. First, she taught the group how to make one pair of moccasins. She showed them how to cut the thick bison leather, punch holes and stitch the shoes together. Then, she asked each of the girls to make their own pair. Later, she came up with incentives. The first person to complete a pair could receive an extra $50.

When COVID-19 infiltrated Montana, Carter’s shut down for a while, but White Bear was still able to work in the back room. Some of her newly hired employees had to return home when classes were canceled.

In the height of the pandemic, White Bear turned to TikTok. She created videos of her process, showcasing her personality and life as a moccasin maker. She remembers creating a slow-motion video, featuring an epic hair flip in her workspace. The post was popular. White Bear’s following grew, and she received more orders. More doors began to open. White Bear was featured in Cosmopolitan and Huff Post.

Pretty soon, White Bear outgrew her space at Carter’s. She needed to move on and find her own workspace, but rent is high in Bozeman, especially downtown, and she feared she couldn’t afford it. She ultimately secured a workshop in Bozeman’s industrial area, where she shares the space with another local artist.

White Bear then applied for the Montana Women’s Business Center Impact Grant from Prospera Business Network. The grant was a competition, and White Bear won. She received $6,000, and with the funds, she bought a harness stitcher, industrial sander, boot stretcher and other tools.

Now, White Bear has four employees, three of whom are Native. Mae, who is Crow and from Hardin, is White Bear’s lead stitcher. Summer, also Crow and from Hardin, is the master harness stitcher and cobbler, and Shenea, who is Western Shoshone and from Nevada, is in training. Sara, who is from Great Falls, is White Bear’s assistant and helps keep her organized.

White Bear said working with the girls is rewarding.

“I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do,” she said, adding that she doesn’t have children of her own. “To provide a safe place for these girls to grow into wonderful young women.”

Now, White Bear and her staff create moccasins using bison leather, fur, elk teeth, wool, copper, brass and beads. Each month, she releases new shoes, available for pre-order. And a few times a year, she invites customers to make custom orders. A pair of moccasins can take White Bear anywhere from four hours to two days to complete, depending on the size, style and personalized elements. Depending on the materials used, the shoes can cost anywhere from $380 to $1,000. Last year, the team made about 250 pairs of moccasins, though White Bear said that this year, they are already “way over that number.”

If you’re interested

To learn more about Shauna White Bear and her work, visit whitebearmoccasins.com.
To be notified when White Bear opens her custom orders, sign up for her email list on her website under the “Get in Touch” tab.
To inquire about mentorship opportunities, reach Shauna White Bear at whitebearmoccasin406@gmail.com.

White Bear makes her moccasins for everyone, including non-Native people, to wear.

“My moccasins are more modern,” she explained. “They aren’t moccasins that are beaded and meant for ceremony or dancing. I’m not making those for the public. I make these for everyone, and they can incorporate their own style or heritage into them.”

White Bear added she is proud of the fact that her moccasins are Native made.

“I don’t believe it’s cultural appropriation if you are purchasing from a Native artist,” she said. “You’re supporting us.”

When asked what’s next for her business, White Bear said, “There’s so much.”

Someday, she envisions having a storefront connected to the workshop, where people can purchase pre-made shoes or get fitted for custom orders. She envisions featuring other Native-made goods in the store, too.

“There’s no place in Bozeman where you can go buy Native-made moccasins,” she said. “I’d like to be a household name.”

This article was first published in the Missoulian.