When Christina King is creating her art, she feels a connection to all the women in her family that came before her.
“I’m tapping into the blood memory and the skills that have been passed down through my long matrilineal Inuvialuit line, as well as my dad’s Gwich’in side — his mom was a talented bead artist,” the Tuktoyaktuk-born artist said from the 2025 International Indigenous Tourism Conference in Montreal, where she spent several days selling her work. “I’m just drawing upon these skills that I inherited.
“My culture is such a rich source of inspiration, and working with the same materials my ancestors did, and then being able to combine it with contemporary materials to create exciting new things, it really gives me energy and life.”
King, who also goes by the name Taalrumiq, has been creative since she was a girl. She received her first sewing kit from her mother when she was just four years old, and has fond memories of spending time in her grandmother’s sewing room with her siblings and cousins as a young child.
Today, she creates pieces of art, clothing and jewelry using traditional materials like sealskin, furs, hides, feathers and antlers, as well as modern elements like sequins, beads and metallic leather. She takes great pride in carrying on the legacy of her mother, grandmothers and other ancestors.
“It’s very important to me,” she said. “Both of my grandmothers passed when I was very young, so I didn’t receive teachings directly from them, but it’s through my mom and women in my community and my aunties where I learn a lot of things, and ask questions and find out some of the meanings of our cultural designs. It’s important because it’s part of who I am.”
King has had great success in her field, with a long list of impressive accomplishments. Some of her personal highlights, she said, have been showing her designs at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week and Toronto’s Indigenous Fashion Arts Festival. Her work has also appeared in the Netflix’s popular live-action remake of the anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and more recently, in the CBC/APTN series North of North.
The success is “surreal” at times, she said. “Sometimes I can’t believe it. I feel so lucky.”
King also believes it’s crucial for women to support each other in the industry.
“It’s very important,” she said. “I’ve been to events where it’s just me and it can feel very lonely. Being here in Montreal at the International Indigenous Tourism Conference, I’m here with a cohort of artists under the Proudly Indigenous Crafts and Designs brand. it’s really nice to be here as part of a group.
“We support each other and we’re there to help each other behind the scenes. It’s hard to do this on your own, so finding a good support system is important.”
King has learned a lot over the course of her career as an artist, and with International Women’s Day just around the corner on March 8, she was happy to share some wisdom with the next generation of young female creatives — just as the older women in her life have done for her.
The most important thing, she said, is to “believe in yourself.”
“You don’t need anyone’s permission to start,” she added. “If you want make [your art] into a business, or you want to create a fashion collection or learn to sew mittens, for example, just start today. Start now.
“Every day you’re going to build on your experience, and you’ll always find other artists or women in your community who are happy to help or guide you or answer questions. It really is a community effort.”
