REKINDLING THE ANCESTRAL FIRE:

BECOMing 'KIN'

Indigenous traditions are at a crossroads.

On one hand, against great odds and despite centuries of colonialism, many indigenous traditions continue to thrive and even develop in vibrant and inspiring new directions.

• Indigenous musicians such as Supaman (Crow Nation) and Balam Ajpu (Maya) are blending traditional language, dance, and indigenous wisdom with new forms, like hip hop, to engage indigenous youth and reach wider audiences.

• Textile weaving arts, traditions with over 5,000 years of history in Central America, are vibrant and varied, with many weavers producing textiles for increasingly more accessible, high-end markets. And many women (the great majority of weavers) are self-organizing into cooperative business models for greater work autonomy.

• Many indigenous communities are turning traditional, land-based ways of living into sustainable educational and tourist enterprises that teach outsiders about indigenous culture.

• And more Native youth are pursuing an interest in the arts or fashion design with a focus on designs and motifs inspired by their tribes and upbringing.

Indigenous news outlets have publicized some examples such as the above, but many people remain unaware of such developments.

On the other hand, indigenous traditions still face many CHALLENGES.

Some of these challenges have existed since the beginning of colonialism. Others have come into play in the more recent past. But all indigenous cultures face some or all of these threats:

• Around the world, young indigenous people continue to migrate to the cities to find better jobs, moving away from the older generations who would normally pass onto them the traditional stories, language, and customs.

• Indigenous languages are being lost as tribes are fragmented and assimilated into mainstream culture. Half of the world’s 7,000 languages face extinction, and only 0.1 percent of the world’s people hold a full 80 percent of its languages.

• Not only are languages themselves lost, but a wealth of knowledge about the relationship to nature, plants, animals, medicines, land renewal techniques, farming, cultural histories, and calendric knowledge, as well as wisdom about rearing children, rites of passages, or peacekeeping accords, are lost with them.

• Many indigenous peoples face economic marginalization through systematic exploitation of their lands by extractive industries (such as mining, petrochemicals, and palm oil plantations, to name a few). For many indigenous peoples, land is life. 

• Seeds of indigenous food crops, such as maize, the traditional farming methods used to grow them, and the farmers who sustain their families with them, are threatened by the industrialization of agriculture and patent control of hybrid seeds by giant agribusinesses.

• Cultural appropriation of “tribal designs” abounds within the fashion industry, with little to no recognition given to the origins of the designs, their cultural significance or the Native designers. This undermines the value and cultural significance of traditional dress, reducing the deep meaning of such designs to their market value at the expense of real cultural understanding and respect.

• Mainstream culture and consumerist lifestyles are glorified and dominate the media, while the authentic voices and portrayals of indigenous cultures and traditions by indigenous people are marginalized. A lack of platforms and channels for cross-cultural dialogue and exchange leads to a lack of cultural understanding.

Xol Original stands right at the middle of these crossroads.

Since 2012, we’ve been building relationships with indigenous artisans, artists, musicians, shoemakers, farmers, poets, weavers, ceremonialists, and educators.

Ourselves shoemakers, we began with a shared meal and an inspired design collaboration with a single shoemaker in San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala.

Since then we’ve helped make custom shoes for hundreds of people, and we've talked with hundreds more about indigenous traditions, artisanship, and realities. We’ve donated technical equipment and raw materials. 

But we’re not stopping there. In 2015, we became a non-profit with a mission to safeguard indigenous traditions.

• We’re developing the Xol Original Traveling Fashion and Art Exhibit, to incorporate original, interactive educational material about the rich diversity of indigenous traditions in Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.

• We’re fostering collaboration between artisans in Guatemala and Mexico, and we’re extending our collaborative network to indigenous tribes on the island of Taiwan.

• Most importantly, we’re developing our Kinship Program and offerings to you, the supporter of our initiatives, to shine a spotlight on cross-pollinating creative endeavors by indigenous traditions around the world.

This is just a start. We have many more things planned for the coming years.

Walk with us, in your shoes.

Become Kin today and join the Xol Original family of small-scale, indigenous, beautiful craftwork, dedicated to preserving the roots of that work. As Kin, you pledge through both financial and spiritual means, to the restoration of indigenous cultures.

kinship circle

custom shoes. shared purpose. lasting impact.

since 2012, xol original has worked alongside indigenous and traditional artisans to preserve craft, protect culture, and provide pathways for thriving creative economies. at the heart of this work is the kinship circle — a community of monthly supporters whose contributions go directly toward this mission.

in 2025, we’re refreshing the kinship circle to reflect today’s economic realities and deepen our impact together.

what’s new:

• your kinship, your timing
  every monthly donation you make accrues toward a pair of custom, one-of-one, handmade xol original shoes. whenever you’re ready, redeem your credit — or pass it forward to someone in need.

• soulful giving, flexible receiving
  whether you’re donating $5/month or $100/month, you’re building toward a wearable piece of art. shoes can be claimed when your balance reaches the current cost of production, or gifted anonymously through our pass-the-pair program.

• price update
  due to rising costs in materials, fair artisan wages, and increased tariffs, the base value for a pair of custom shoes in 2025 is now $180 for kinship members.
  this reflects the real cost of ethically sourced, small-batch, handmade work — and ensures sustainability for everyone in the process.

monthly kinship tiers:

lending a hand $5/mo

sometimes the most powerful support is a small, steady gesture.

this tier is for those who want to contribute what they can, when they can—because every hand extended helps keep traditions alive.

as a lending a hand member, you’ll receive:

• your contribution counted toward a pair of custom shoes (redeemable when you reach the full value, or pass it forward through our pass-the-pair program)

• our ongoing gratitude and acknowledgment as part of the kinship circle

no gesture is too small. your hand, added to ours, moves the work forward.

seed $10/mo

for those planting steady roots in community care.

as a seed member, your monthly gift helps sustain our work from the ground up. you’ll receive everything in the lending a hand tier, plus:

• access to member updates and behind-the-scenes news

• artisan features that connect you directly to the hands behind the craft

every seed holds the potential for transformation—and your support makes that possible.

root $25/mo

growing deeper into the work, together.

as a root member, you receive everything in the seed tier, plus:

• exclusive invitations to virtual studio visits with artisans, team members, and collaborators

these visits offer a direct window into the creative process and the relationships that nourish our mission.

branch $50/mo

supporting the canopy of culture and craft.

as a branch member, you receive all previous benefits, plus:

• an annual surprise gift made by our artisan partners—a token of gratitude and shared intention

this tier strengthens our ability to offer consistent work to artisans while weaving a more reciprocal exchange with you.

tree $100/mo

standing tall in legacy and leadership.

as a tree member, you receive all previous benefits, plus:

• early access to limited edition collections, special collaborations, and one-of-a-kind releases

your generous support provides stability for long-term planning, deeper collaborations, and new possibilities rooted in trust and vision.

no matter the tier, every dollar you contribute counts toward a future pair of shoes — or a gift of dignity for someone who needs them.

thank you.

your ongoing support makes it possible for us to continue our original mission: to walk in beauty, and to make that path more accessible for others. 

to join the xol original kinship program, sign up below.

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(Rest easy, your information is SSL encrypted and secure. Login to edit or cancel your recurring donation at any time. Or make a one-time donation in an amount of your choosing.)

On behalf of Xol Original and the vitality of indigenous traditions everywhere, we thank you and offer you a warm welcome.