Appreciation vs. Appropriation

Kate, the main force behind North Star Henna, minored in Studio Art as a university undergraduate.  In the more than twenty years since then, she has been studying henna history, culture, art, and traditions from the many places in which the art form originated.  She remains cognizant and mindful that she has no direct ancestral, cultural, religious, or geographical ties to the peoples, places, and faiths that have brought henna art and design from the ancient world to the modern day.

In that time, concurrently, Kate has also continued studying other worldwide cultures' body art, decorative motifs, and design elements.  With the adoption of henna and jagua as skin-safe dye stains, and years of practice in various application techniques, Kate seeks to continue to honor and celebrate that henna and jagua history, culture, art, and those traditions hand-in-hand with ideas and designs from additional parts of the world with respect and appreciation-- not appropriation.

Concurrently, she believes it's important to give back to the cultures, countries & regions whose art, techniques, culture, and history we honor and appreciate through henna and jagua body art in the United States. Through the microlending platform KIVA.org, North Star Henna directs a portion of all proceeds to fund loans to henna-ancestry cultures and peoples in the Middle East, India & Pakistan, the Far East, Polynesia & the Pacific Islands, North Africa, and to South America (jagua).  We prioritize loans to and supporting the careers, businesses, education, projects, passions, and lives of women in these parts of the world.  

If you're interested in microlending (whether to these areas, or elsewhere in the world!), we welcome you to join us at KIVA.org!