Eighth Generation
The name “Eighth Generation” references the inter-tribal concept of “seven generations,” which tells us that we should consider the consequences of our decisions seven generations into the future.  I recognize that I’m standing on a foundation made stable and rich with stories because of my ancestor’s good decisions and sacrifices.  By naming my business Eighth Generation, I hope to ensure that this perspective is embedded in all my work.

Of humble beginnings, our small company was born in the Seatac, Washington/South Seattle living room of Louie Gong when he took a Sharpie to a pair of Vans.

Since 2009, Louie has produced vibrant, original artwork that merges Coast Salish art and pop culture icons (like Vans) to represent his complex cultural identity. Louie is a Native of mixed heritage (Nooksack, Squamish, Chinese, French, Scottish) who was raised by his grandparents, father, and stepmom in Ruskin, B.C. and in the Nooksack tribal community. As an educator, activist, and artist, he is driven by the power art has to ignite dialogue, change perspectives, and provide spaces for all voices.

Read Bio

Louie Gong is a Native of mixed heritage (Nooksack, Squamish, Chinese, French, Scottish) who was raised by his grandparents, father, and step-mom both in Ruskin, B.C. and in the Nooksack tribal community. He is totally overwhelmed by recent media recognition of his artwork (see Press) and activism (see Press) on behalf of people who walk in multiple worlds. “UNRESERVED: the work of Louie Gong,” a short film that documents Louie’s unique style of merging art and activism is currently screening at prestigious film festivals around the world, including Festival De Cannes and National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival.

Since graduating from Western Washington University’s School Counseling program in 1999, he has worked as a teacher, child and family therapist, and counseling program coordinator. In all these roles, and in his current position as Education Resource Coordinator for Muckleshoot Tribal College, Louie’s work reflects the need to recognize the dynamic realities of modern life while maintaining a strong cultural identity. This value is also interwoven into his work as adjunct faculty for Evergreen State College, where he has taught classes such a “The Native American Higher Education Experience” and “Mixed Heritage: Thinking outside the box about tribal communities.”  In 2010, Louie was honored to provide keynote speeches at the National Indian Education Association Convention in San Diego and the National Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference in Chicago.  In March of 2012, he will kick off a speaking tour of Germany as a guest of the US Embassy.
 
Louie is also a veteran of the nonprofit hustle. He is a board member and past President of the MAVIN, one of the nation’s leading institutional advocates for mixed heritage people and families. In his work with MAVIN, Louie is co-developer of the Mixed Heritage Center, the largest online resource for mixed heritage people and families in the nation, and the guy who kicked off “What are YouTube?,” an online challenge to people of mixed heritage to reclaim the question “What are you?”  His commentary on issues related to the racial identity has appeared in dozens of major news media, including the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC.com, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Education Week and many others.

Louie discovered the power of art to express ideas when he effectively used crude but well placed graffiti as a tool for wooing a girl. Around the same time, he started seriously exploring Coast Salish art by painting drums in preparation for the 2006 Canoe Journey.  From that point forward, he started seeing the world in crescents, ovals, and formlines.

In 2009 he found his groove as an artist when – on a whim – he took a sharpie to a pair of Vans.  The resulting merger of Coast Salish art and a pop culture icon like Vans was the perfect statement to represent his complex cultural identity.  When many other folks also recognized the message carried by the shoes, Louie realized he had stumbled upon a new way to spark dialogue about identity. While many are drawn to his shoes because they represent the confluence of multiple worlds, others simply appreciate Coast Salish art or the shoes’ freshness and originality.  Either way, Louie feels honored that people are finding value in something he loves to do.

I weave together humorous stories from my humble upbringing with my experiences as an activist and emerging artist to share my perspective on range of topics: racial identity, resilience, art, and entrepreneurship. When appropriate, my background as a college instructor compels me to incorporate empirical information and current research. 

Contact: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Schedule

03/12/12   Lecture Tour of Germany via the US Embassy
03/08/12   Student Leadership Conference at California State Polytechnic University, Keynote
12/04/11   Shenzen, China
11/10/11   South Puget Sound Community College
10/10/11   8th Annual Northwest Region Enrollment Conference
08/04/11   Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Workshop and Presentation
07/26/11   Kent School District, Exploration Days
07/19/11   Kent School District, Workshop and Presentation
06/25/11   Evergreen State College, Custom Shoe Workshop
05/26/11   Portland School District’s Honor Day, Keynote
05/14/11   Renton School District’s Urban Indian Youth Day, Keynote
04/20/11   Eastern Washington University, Keynote
04/02/11   12th Annual American Indian Leadership Conference, Keynote
04/01/11   Salt Lake City Walk-In Center, Custom Shoe Workshop
03/31/11   Utah Valley University, Guest Lecture
03/10/11   Tulalip Tribe
01/27/10   Antioch University, Guest lecture
01/27/11   Muckleshoot Tribal School Potlatch
12/04/10   International District Housing Alliance
11/25/10   Toppenish School District, School Assembly
11/24/10   Wapato School District, School Assembly
11/23/10   Yakama Reservation Coalition
11/07/10   National Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference, Keynote
10/08/10   National Indian Education Association, Keynote VIDEO
09/30/10   Northwest Indian College Symposium, Customs Workshop and Presentation
08/03/10   Federated Band of Graton Rancheria, Customs Workshop and Presentation
07/27/10   World Affairs Council, Custom Shoe Workshop for Iraqi youth at Jones Soda HQ
07/26/10   Native Youth Enrichment Program, Customs Workshop and Presentation
07/03/10   Cultural Teaching Institute, Featured Presenter
06/22/10   CJMQ Radio, Quebec
06/15/10   CFNR Classic Rock, British Columbia
06/09/10   United Indians of All Tribes, Native Youth Healing Circle
06/05/10   Haskell Indian Nations University- 2nd annual Summer Youth Leadership Challenge
05/22/10   Western Washington University, Keynote
05/06/10   Bellevue Art Museum, Artist’s Talk Series
05/06/10   Highline Community College API Month
04/26/10   Native America Calling, nationally syndicated radio program
04/10/10   16th Annual AIBL National Business & Leadership Conference, Keynote
04/03/10   Evergreen State College- “Art and Identity,” a series of 4 workshops
02/17/10   Kent School District, Custom Shoe Workshop
02/14/10   Aboriginal Fashion Showcase at 2010 Olympic Games, Featured Artist
01/16/10   KUOW Presents, Walking in Two Worlds with Louie Gong
12/02/09   Kent School District, Custom Shoe Workshop
11/30/09   Seattle Central Community College
11/04/09   3 Day Art Exhibit begins at the American Indian Film Festival
08/03/09   KJMQ Radio, Quebec
08/23/09   CBC Radio, British Columbia
07/23/09   National Tribal TANF Institute, Keynote
06/03/09   Native America Calling, Nationally Syndicated Radio
06/11/09   North Kitsap Opportunity Conference, Keynote
04/01/09   (Break to work on Native Cases Project)
03/07/09   Washington Education Association
02/14/09   Western Washington Native American Education Consortium Conference,
01/30/09   Muckleshoot Tribal College
01/16/09   Muckleshoot Tribal College
12/19/08   Muckleshoot Tribal College
12/05/08   Kitsap County Council for Human Rights
11/12/08   University of Washington School of Education
10/23/08   National Indian Education Association
10/06/08   National Urban Indian Family Coalition
09/08/08   Antioch University

I’ve been in the education field since I was 18, when I started working with kids from my own community in the public schools. I eventually became a school counselor and therapist before moving into higher education.  When putting together workshops, I draw on my professional experience as a school counselor, child and family therapist, and college instructor to create content that is engaging and relevant to the broader social or educational goals of the programs that I’m visiting. 

Art and Identity: Custom Shoes
This workshop uses the process of creating a custom shoe as a platform for exploring personal identity. It includes technical guidance and one-on-one support for students as they create their own shoe design and execute the design on a canvas shoe.  Rapid Group Customization, a warm up activity that I developed to ease insecurity about artistic ability and establish a fun learning environment, is often the highlight of my Art and Identity workshops.  Check out pictures of this activity.

Art and Identity: Identity Doodles
My Identity Doodles activity, which was featured in Education Week magazine in 2008, works great as a stand alone activity when time is limited or as a supplement to other activities.  Students answer the question “What are you?” on a large puzzle piece using words, drawings, symbols and colors. The puzzle is put together at the end of the session so participants can reflect on both the diversity and commonalities within their group or community. The completed puzzle can be saved to commemorate the experience.  Check out pictures of this activity.

Thinking Outside the Box About Tribal Communities
Post-Census 2000 research indicates that people who identify with more than one race are at increased risk for depression, drop out, and substance abuse (Urdy, 2003).  What does this mean for the American Indians of mixed heritage, who identify with more than one race over 40% of the time—10 times the rate of the general population—and continue to marry out at rates over 50%?  How does the intergenerational impact of federal policies designed to dismantle tribal identity impact the experience of mixed Natives?  This workshop gives participants the tools necessary for exploring these questions within the context of their own experience, including data from Census 2010.  See a video of me speaking on this subject.

UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong
A film by Longhouse Media

“UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong” is described as an “intimate profile of a remarkable artist and activist.”  It has been selected to screen at dozens of festivals in 7 different countries, including the Festival de Cannes in France and the National Geographic All Roads Festival in Washington, DC.  Visit the Website/ Watch Trailer

TV News Features, Segments and Other Video
09/27/2011   APTN National News (starts at minute 55)
07/05/2010   Walking Masterpieces, Wigup TV
05/05/2010   Putting the “Pop” in Culture, by King 5 ‘s Evening Magazine
04/06/2010   Biracial Residents Boxed in by Census,  NBC Nightly News expert commentary
04/02/2010   Eighth Generation: TV news story by Northwest Indian News
03/01/2010   Two Worlds: Artist Profile by CTV- Canada
11/07/2009   UNRESERVED: the work of Louie Gong – Film by Longhouse Media (trailer)
05/10/2009   Make Sick Shoes - a “How To” video by Paradocs Productions
02/15/2008   What are Youtube? - a home-grown viral video that was featured on MSNBC.com

Selected Print and Prominent Blog Features
01/06/2012   Footwear News, Manitobah Mukluks Embraces Coast Salish Art
09/26/2011   Windspeaker Magazine, Windspeaker Confidential
06/20/2011   Unreserved: The work of Louie Gong, Educational Resource Package by Hot Docs.
04/01/2011   Art Works, Textbook, Edmond Montgomery Publishers
02/02/2011   The Vans Blog, Louie Gong’s Chinese New Year Customs
01/01/2011   Native Peoples Magazine, Louie Gong Gains Fame through Custom Footwear
07/01/2010   Seattle Magazine, Native Soles
02/14/2010   Seattle Times, Fashion Footwear Grounded in Coast Salish Art
01/13/2010   Indian County Today’s 2010 Business Magazine, Louie Gong Inspires Next Generation with Custom Footwear
01/07/2010   Diverse Magazine, Tribal College Educator Raises America’s Multiethnic Profile
11/05/2009   Thrilllist.com, Eighth Generation
11/04/2009   Seattle Spectator, Local artist shoe designs step across racial lines
10/03/2009   Seattle Times, Nooksack Tribe member explores multiracial culture
08/20/2009   Indian Country Today, Eighth Generation: Made for walking in two worlds with style
07/23/2009   Metro News, Old World Meets New
04/19/2009   TheVansBlog.com, Louie Gong: Mixed Traditional Native Art and Custom Kicks
03/08/2009   Bellingham Herald, Dedicated Voice for Community
06/28/2008   MSNBC.com, Multiracial Americans surge in number, voice

Radio
06/09/2010   CJMQ (Quebec): Outside the Shoe Box
04/26/2010   Native America Calling, Art and Identity
01/16/2010   KUOW,  (Seattle NPR affiliate) Walking in Two Worlds with Louie Gong
08/23/2009   CBC Radio, On the Coast
06/03/2009   Native America Calling, Embracing your mixed heritage
05/15/2009   Mixed Chicks Chat, Interview with Louie Gong

Selected Commentary Related Racial Identity and MAVIN
02/09/2011   New York Times, Counting Race Can Throw Off Some Numbers
10/20/2010   New York Times, Angle Re-opens subject of race
03/08/2010   ABC News, The Color of Change
07/23/2009   Metro News, Old World Meets New
01/20/2009   Philadelphia Inquirer, Big Moment but Small Step
01/20/2009   The Chicago Tribune, An American Moment
01/01/2009   The Vancouver Sun, Mixed Blessings
07/21/2008   San Francisco Chronicle, Obama Raises Profile of Mixed Race Americans
06/07/2008   Diversity Inc Magazine, 8 Things Never to Say to a Mixed Race Colleague
06/01/2008   Education Week Magazine, Mixed Heritage Said to Present Complex Issues
03/31/2008   New York Times, Who Are We?, A New Dialogue on Mixed Race
03/15/2008   The Toronto Star, A Love Match?  That’s So Last Century