Deb Haaland and Peggy Flanagan marked historic election victories with earrings made by Indigenous artists. Haaland was elected New Mexico’s first Native American woman governor, while Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, became the first Native woman to win her state’s U.S. Senate seat.
Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo congresswoman and former interior secretary, celebrated in Albuquerque wearing titanium dragonfly earrings by Laguna and Chiricahua Apache artist Pat Pruitt. The design, one of Pruitt’s signature pieces, draws on a double-cross motif and dragonfly imagery. Pruitt said the earrings’ symbolism includes flight, change and transformation.
Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, wore long dentalium shell earrings with a burgundy suit at an election night event in Saint Paul. Dentalium shells have a longstanding place in Indigenous adornment and are increasingly difficult to find. Contemporary Indigenous artists continue to use them in jewelry.
The accessories reflected a broader pattern during both campaigns: Haaland has worn traditional ribbon skirts, while Flanagan has featured clothing and jewelry by Native designers. Their choices put Indigenous artists and cultural traditions in view as the politicians celebrated their wins. In her speech, Haaland said every New Mexican deserves the chance to thrive; Flanagan told supporters, “You fought for me, and I’m going to fight for you.”
Sources: Vogue.