How Sarain Fox is working to change the narrative around Indigenous history

Sarain Fox is a multifaceted artist and activist who comes from a long line of storytellers. Fox is Anishinaabe from Batchawana First Nations, just outside of Sault Saint Marie, Ontario. Her mother and great aunt passed down ancient teachings from generations of knowledge-keepers and have raised her to be proud of her Indigenous roots. She is a dancer, choreographer, stylist, activist, brand ambassador, television host and content producer. A storyteller at heart, Sarain has combined these various mediums to create a compelling social platform for amplifying the voices of her people. She uses her platform to celebrate the immense knowledge and talent of Indigenous people, designers and brands. 

Sarain spoke with Marilyn about directing her first feature film ‘Inendi,’ where she tells the story of her great aunt, a knowledge keeper and residential school survivor, who she visits during COVID to gather all of her stories before they are lost. Working with Know History, she's committed to changing the narrative around how Indigenous people have been misrepresented throughout history. Sarain also recently teamed up with Sephora for their first-ever Indigenous People’s Month campaign to help amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples in Canada, while paying homage to their knowledge, wisdom, diverse strengths and teachings.  The campaign includes videos and images featuring a wide array of Indigenous talent and is rooted in celebrating diversity, highlighting local Canadian collaborators and authentic untold stories. So, what's next for the powerhouse activist? She is now directing a series of shorts for the Indigenous Music Summit. Powered by Apple, each musician apart of the project was given an iPhone to collaborate remotely. They shared their unique perspectives from their homelands and Sarain crafted a series of ‘music-video-short-docs’ to tell their stories. Watch the full interview above to learn more.