New Horizons

It isn’t just the runway that Chasinghorse seeks to revolutionize: she has dedicated her life to advocating for Indigenous rights and representation. She is first and foremost a land protector, who uses her public persona and growing social-media presence as a platform to educate others about Native American ways of life, confront issues that affect her communities, and push for positive change; top of her agenda are the climate crisis and environmental justice. Alongside her mother, Jody Potts-Joseph – whom she praises for teaching her everything she knows – Chasinghorse has lobbied Congress to pass a bill to prevent oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a vast ecosystem in Alaska that is a sacred place for the region’s Indigenous people.

The distinction between being defined as a ‘protector’ as opposed to an ‘activist’ is hugely significant to her. “For me, it’s a little bit deeper than just advocating… it’s really important to recognize that I’m doing so much more than just being an activist for these things; I’m protecting my community, I’m protecting my ways of life; I’m protecting the future generations from possible apocalypses when it comes to climate – or whatever it may be – [and] keeping our culture, our traditions alive and thriving, so that our children, our grandchildren, don’t have to worry about defending the lands, defending the water, defending themselves and our right to be ourselves.”

Chasinghorse speaks with a wisdom that belies her 19 years. As well as praising her mother’s guidance, she attributes her social awareness and revolutionist spirit to a close-knit group of aunties. “My mom was a single parent and she always tried to do her best, but she had a lot of amazing support from my aunties and our community. I kind of grew up in the movement – my mom and my aunties are a really big part of the movement, meaning Indigenous sovereignty, climate change. They are all either on the board of a non-profit, work for a non-profit, or they do some work in law and for their tribe. They’re all very powerful.”

Despite having a formidable matriarchal support network, the lack of Indigenous representation in the media felt like a barrier for Chasinghorse in her childhood. It is one that she is now admirably dismantling. She fell in love with fashion at the tender age of three. While living in eastern Mongolia, her mother would put a 24/7 fashion network on TV, which played back-to-back runway shows that transfixed a young Chasinghorse. But, with no other Native American models to look up to, achieving her dream felt, at times, impossible. “The big thing was confidence; finding that confidence to feel like you can be something in this kind of industry and be successful. Being successful is definitely a big part of it and [having] someone who can show you that you can be successful, that you are beautiful, no matter what society tells you.”

“Growing up, I got bullied for having a bump on my nose, for having high cheekbones… I never felt beautiful. The beauty standards that were being upheld by society, by these kids, I didn’t think I had what it took to be a model; it was a dream. I thought it was so far out of reach that it would never happen. I didn’t think that was what people wanted on the cover of magazines, because the lack of representation made us think and feel that way; that we weren’t good enough or pretty enough… lack of representation really does take a toll on you.”

Her big break came in the form of a Calvin Klein campaign in October 2020, which championed the importance of voting. Shot alongside her older brother, Isaiah Potts, in their home town of Fairbanks, Alaska, Chasinghorse’s exquisite beauty was impossible for model scouts to miss, and she was swiftly signed up to IMG – the heavyweight agency that also represents industry icons Joan Smalls, Lauren Hutton and Gigi Hadid. Cover shoots for V Magazine and Vogue Mexico, followed by a stellar runway season, set her star in firm ascent. “When we first met Quannah, she walked into our showroom, and was so uniquely and beautifully representing being an Indigenous woman while also exuding a never-before-seen personal style and aura,” says New York-based designer Jonathan Simkhai. “Now, more than ever, representation in all its categories and forms is all that counts – as it should always have been.”

Chasinghorse proudly exhibits her rich heritage on her face in the form of Yidįįłtoo tattoos, hand-poked by her mother in homage to significant life events. She took to her Instagram to explain that she is the first girl in her tribe to have reclaimed this tradition, aged 14, in more than a century, as tattoo practices were banned through colonization. Her chin tattoo is the first design her mother worked on, while the ones by Chasinghorse’s eyes symbolize her personal battle with mental health. In the post’s caption, she explained: “I wanted markings that could represent a clear vision through life’s challenges and obstacles, to continue moving forward and not get stuck in the past, so I asked my mom to tattoo along the sides of my eyes. Like a lot of others, I still have bad days and I still struggle once in a while, but these tattoos are a great reminder of who I am, the powerful meaning, how far I’ve come, where I come from and how resilient and strong my people, my bloodline and my ancestors are. Being a part of reviving our traditional tattoo practices has been one of the most powerful, beautiful and important things I will ever do.”

It isn’t an overstatement to say that Chasinghorse is redefining beauty and the role of a model today: “If you have a platform, it’s really important to utilize that, so it’s really cool to see the industry moving in that direction and to see the models not only be proud of the beauty they bring with their looks, but the beauty they bring within themselves,” she says. And Chasinghorse is only just getting started with the vital work she has set out to do. Her goal now is to open camps for Indigenous youth to come and process ancestorial trauma, as well as learn about their history. “I want people to recognize that you can turn pain into power.”

Quannah Chasinghorse is this week’s guest in our podcast series, The New Guard

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