Model Quannah ChasingHorse is More than a Model, She is a Change Maker

Quannah ChasingHorse has been making a name for herself in the fashion industry as an indigenous model and activist within recent years. She is a part of the Hän Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota tribes and has been an advocate for Alaskan climate crisis. She has fought for conservation with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a section of Alaska who’s ecosystem has been heavily affected by the rise in fossil fuels and global warming.

She has been on the cover of multiple magazines such as Elle and Vogue Mexico and has walked for major brands such as Chanel. With her iconic traditional face tattoos or Yidįįłtoo, she has made a name for herself and is definitely someone to watch within the fashion industry.

ChasingHorse’s 2022 Ugg Campaign Photo: UGG via: Popsugar

ChasingHorse has always had pride in her culture and its traditions. She comes from a lineage of indigenous land protectors within her tribe. Her mother, Jody Potts-Joseph has been an advocate for her land and cultural reclamation for decades and she has impacted ChasingHorse in her advocacy and beliefs. The practice of traditional tattoos was banned by missionaries in the 1800s. ChasingHorse was the first girl in her tribe to receive her Yidįįłtoo at the age of 14, which was a rite of passage for her tribe still used today. Her Yidįįłtoo represented the reclamation of her cultural traditions in a world that has consistently tried to erase them.

ChasingHorse with her mom Jody Potts-Joseph Photo: KERI OBERLY via Elle Magazine

ChasingHorse takes any opportunity to advocate for her culture and represent it within the industry and that is admirable. She is using her platform for good,

“I grew my platform through my advocacy work, through being a land and water protector and showing up,” she said. “That’s what got me attention and started my career. Being able to live my dream and continue that important work is all I could ever ask for…“We’ve always been a stereotype, a mascot. We’ve always been not seen as real humans. Being a part of that change and encouraging other Indigenous youth to step up and use our voices, but also to be proud of who we are, is what motivates me. It keeps me wanting to keep doing what I’m doing.”     

ChasingHorse for Elle Magazine Photo: NATHANIEL GOLDBERG via Elle Magazine

Additionally, in an industry that has always had diversity problems, ChasingHorse is a breath of fresh air. It is rare to see indigenous models on the runways or in editorials. They are not promoted as much as white models and there is no emphasis or platform for them to showcase their culture through fashion. In the documentary, Walking Two Worlds, ChasingHorse said, “I hated my nose, I hated my bone structure—I wanted to look like every other white girl because they were loved and desired by everybody,” she said. “We need more faces—I shouldn’t be the only Native person when I walk on set,” Chasinghorse says. “Just yesterday when I was on set, there was another Native girl doing my hair and I felt like just having that one person to connect with changed my whole mood. In every aspect and in every space, there needs to be more of us.”  

Photo: Keri Oberly via: CNN

Chasinghorse uses her platform to advocate for her culture not only within the fashion industry but in general. She has been able to bring awareness to the current land and fossil fuel crisis happening in Alaska that heavily affects the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect it with her family. She is a representative for the indigenous community within fashion and uses her platform to speak up for more diversity within the industry in every aspect and holds the industry more accountable. There needs to be people within the industry that promote and demand change or the industry will remain the same with no changes happening.