‘I’m reminded of home’: Actor Devery Jacobs on her favourite products

Toronto-based star shines a spotlight on Indigenous businesses

As her platform has grown, Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) actor Devery Jacobs always knew she wanted to share it. “What is the point in breaking through glass ceilings if it’s just going to be on your own?” says the 27-yearold, who is from Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory in Quebec, and has appeared in fantasy series like “American Gods” and Netflix’s “The Order.” “I want to see my community with me in all the places I go.”

It’s a sentiment shared by the whole team behind Jacobs’ latest project, “Reservation Dogs,” the buzzy, Indigenous-led comedy series cocreated by Sterlin Harjo and Oscar-winner Taika Waititi. (It will premiere stateside in August on FX on Hulu, and internationally on Disney Plus’s Star platform at a TBD date.) It’s the first time, she says, that she’s worked with a predominantly Indigenous cast and crew.

Jacobs, a vocal activist, wants to shine the spotlight outside her industry, too. Here, the Toronto-based star shares a few favourite Indigenous-owned businesses that remind her of home and the sense of community she feels with other Indigenous people.

For nostalgic soaps Sequoia founder Michaelee Lazore, who is Mohawk from Akwesáhsne and Northern Paiute from Nevada, draws inspiration from Native legends and ingredients in her beauty brand’s products. Now, Sequoia — named after the giant tree and a famed Cherokee chief — specializes in artful soaps, bath bombs, lotions and more, handmade locally in Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory in Quebec, where Jacobs is from. “I have been wearing the Red Clover scent since I was a preteen,” she says. “When I use her products, I’m really reminded of home.”

Sequoia Red Clover body mist, $20, shop.sequoia.ca

For fresh beans

When Jacobs was gifted coffee from Ottawa-based roasters Birch Bark Coffee, it quickly became her go-to source for the brew. “It’s strong but not bitter or sour,” she says. Founded by Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, who is Ojibwe and a member of Whitefish River First Nation on Birch Island, the company sources Arabica beans from Indigenous farmers in places like South America. Each blend is named after something culturally significant — like the medium/dark decaf roast Dream Catcher.

Birch Bark Coffee Co. Dream Catcher decaf roast, $16, birchbarkcoffeecompany.com

For beautiful beadwork Toronto-based Dene artist Skye Paul’s intricate beadwork earrings and patches are so coveted, they sell out within minutes of a new drop on her online shop, Running Fox

Beads. The craft has been passed down in Paul’s family, and her colourful pieces — the patches can be added to denim or leather — evoke traditional Dene motifs, like sage and sweetgrass. “I love that her designs have that Northern, flat beadwork style, combined with what reminds me of classic tattoo design,” Jacobs says.

Running Fox Beads robin beaded wall art, runningfoxbeads.com

For graphic art

“I’ve just come across Luke Swinson’s work, but it really resonates with me,” Jacobs says. The

Anishinaabe visual artist, who is amember of the

Mississaugas of the Scugog Island First Nation and based in Kitchener, Ont., primarily creates digital illustrations and murals that aim to reclaim his Indigenous identity. The pieces also explore his relationship to the natural world, and often depict wildlife and the Southern Ontario landscape. “I’m looking for a cottage, and my partner and I already plan to purchase different Luke Swinson art pieces for that hypothetical space,” says Jacobs.