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Maren Larsen: From ���ϳԹ��� Magazine, this is the ���ϳԹ��� Podcast. 

Quannah Chasinghorse I'm getting dressed and have a whole glam team coming to my room after this. Or actually, after a fitting. Definitely little girl me is screaming inside right now.

Maren: This is the world of Quannah Chasinghorse, high-fashion model. She's a Victoria's secret angel. She's been to three Met galas. She's been on the cover of Elle, Vogue China, and Vogue Japan. And, right now, she's on the cover of ���ϳԹ��� Magazine.

Because this is also the world of Quannah Chasinghorse. 

She is a Han Gwich-in and Lakota woman with traditional facial tattoos hand-poked by her mother. She mushes dogs and hunts and fishes. She grew up in rural Alaska, on land where her mother's ancestors have lived for thousands of years. Her cover shoot for ���ϳԹ��� was her first public presentation on those lands.

Quannah's remarkable life has her walking two worlds, which is the title of a new short film from The North Face that documents her unique and challenging journey. 

Walking Two Worlds: How life changes is just so insane. Like, literally, Quannah will be jetting off to Paris to walk the runways for Chanel and whoever else, right? And I'm in our little village of 20 people, like, running to the local Washateria. Where we get our running water and have washing machines and facilities to watch her walk in a Gucci show. 

Maren: I'm Maren Larsen, and today on the show we're going to explore Quannah's two worlds.

The story begins when Quannah was a little girl, living thousands of miles from where she was born.

Quannah: My memories start in Mongolia.

Maren: Quannah's mother, Jody Potts-Joseph, had moved Quannah and her two brothers there when Quannah was three.

Tim Sohn: Jodi's parents had gone over there and were working in this village.

Maren: This is Tim Sohn, who wrote about Quannah and the Walking Two Worlds film for the September/October 2023 issue of ���ϳԹ��� Magazine.

Tim: Jodi and the kids went and visited, and Jodi was offered a job as an English teacher. She wasn't planning to stay for a while, but she did. And they talk about the, that it was actually the community felt, sort of natural to them just because it was a similar kind of small scale village life, similar to what they experience in Alaska. I mean, obviously very different in a number of ways, but the scale of it felt right to them. So they stayed, and, but they would go on these periodic trips to town.

Quannah: Anytime we went to the big city, you know, whether it be for supplies or whatever, my mom would just put on that 24-7, 24 hour fashion channel of just like runways in the hotel.

Even my pop said somewhere he has a picture of me just staring at the TV, like in awe. Ever since then, like my dream was to be a model.

Maren: Tim interviewed Quannah and her mother Jody over a video call this past July. They were in Jody's home in Eagle Village, a town of less than 100 people just south of the Arctic Circle, right where the Yukon river crosses the border with Canada.

As Jody tells it, their family stayed in Mongolia until Quannah was five, and soon after, they returned to Jody's homeland, in Alaska.

Jody: So I grew up in, uh, wall tent camps in different locations throughout the year. And then some of our cabins, like my first cabin, had dirt floor growing up. We had a dog team for transportation and canoe in the summer. So, you know, it was really simple, very traditional, and definitely like a lot of times all we had was the food we got from the land and maybe just a few little additional staples like flour and rice. 

Maren: Jody taught Quannah how to be part of that world, one which was changing dramatically in many ways.

Jody: I've seen a lot of major changes in my lifetime with modern conveniences, but I've also seen a lot with climate change.

And especially I would say just in the last, like twenty years for sure, but even, in the last ten years. It's just how rapidly the landscape is changing and really the animal relatives that we live with and depend on.

Maren: Some of Quannah's earliest recollections involve fishing and hunting and mushing alongside her mom.

Quannah: I think that my best childhood memories came from when my mom came home from work. And it'd be late nights, and it'd be dark out already, and it'd be winter time, and cold, and we'd all be in bed already. And my mom would get ready really quickly to go run her dogs, and she'd be hooking up dogs. And I would get myself up really fast and throw on my snow gear, and as she's about to take off, I run out like, wait for me! And I hop in her sled, and. 

Jody: She just would, you know, chitter chat the whole way about her day at school and we just talk, talk, talk. And then pretty soon it's just quiet and she had fallen asleep in my dog sled, you know. And so those are really precious, you know, memories and moments.

Maren: But Quannah learned more than traditional skills; she also became aware of the threats that the land and her community are facing.

Quannah: You know, the salmon crisis has been a real detrimental thing to our people. And it's something that, you know, our people have been fighting, our elders, even people outside of our community have been very vocal about this issue.

Jody: For decades.

Tim: Many of the native villages in Alaska have a really intimate relationship specifically with, with salmon. And from a subsistence basis and a cultural basis and everything else, the importance of salmon in these places cannot be overstated.

Maren: Tim was a commercial fisherman in Alaska for several summers and has done extensive reporting on environmental conflicts in the state, especially in Native communities much like Eagle Village. 

Tim: So, on the Yukon, due to a variety of factors, but primarily, they think, oceans warming, overfishing and bycatch out in the seas, a lot of fish interception and fishing areas further offshore, Salmon have not been making their way up the Yukon in the numbers that they have historically. So, for the last four summers, the Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife has shut down fishing on the upper Yukon.

It's a, opens a whole host of issues. One is food insecurity.

Jody: The salmon are one of our main food sources. So, you know, facing food insecurity, but also the health impacts of not having that diet of salmon that really our DNA is used to getting that salmon.

Tim: And then a second part of it is a real, like, sort of cultural tailspin. I mean, the skills of, of harvesting and processing fish and, and fileting them and smoking them and, and all of that stuff. It's an intergenerational thing that happens on the banks of the river when you're catching the fish, and that transfer of knowledge is something that, that stands to be lost.

Jody: It's definitely a huge loss. And, you know, this is the fourth year we can't fish for salmon.

Quannah: I just keep thinking about the younger generations not being able to learn those things. 

Maren: Being raised to understand the beautiful complexity of this world led Quannah to be protective of it.

Jody: I think that's kind of how Quannah was in a way built into the climate advocacy work. She has that knowledge from what we saw, all of the rapid changes, even her and her young life. And I think, you know, as an indigenous people, we spend so much time on the land that we're kind of front lines like the canary in the mine, you know. 

Quannah: And I feel like a lot of activists have like, have like this story of being like, ‘I, I seen this video of like animals being harmed,’ or whatever. 

But for me, like it's really a lived experience like in my life. I have seen these changes. I have experienced these changes as indigenous people when you when you have that connection. Even as a little kid, like it would make me emotional to think that like mom what's gonna happen, you know?

And so like that feeling of that that loss, that grief that you feel for the land for our animals. And knowing that like our lives depend on it, but also like, you know, they’re our relatives like realistically like we are nature and we are a part of nature. We're a part of this life cycle.

And I think having that, that at a young age, that feeling of Knowing what climate change is, but also feeling that grief and asking questions. That's not what made me want to be an activist. It's just naturally who I became.

Maren: Considering that Quannah grew up at what she calls ground zero of the climate crisis, it's not hard to understand why she felt compelled to become an activist. But how did she go from there to the glitzy, decidedly not nature-focused world of high fashion? And how does walking on runways in Los Angeles help save her home in Alaska? That's coming up after the break.

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Maren: By the time she was 17 years old, more than a dozen years after she first stared starry-eyed up at fashion models on Mongolian TV, Quannah Chasinghorse began doing advocacy work in earnest, working on get out the native vote campaigns and climate issues. 

In 2020, her advocacy work on social media caught the eye of someone who gave her a shot at her dream career.

Tim: Calvin Klein scout sees her and casts her in this campaign and she ends up being the star of the campaign and like gets signed to IMG. And so you, you see this whole progression of, of how quickly it all happens.

Maren: The fashion world discovered Quannah shortly after Maia Wikler, a journalist and documentary filmmaker, became interested in her story and started filming her life for the project that would eventually become Walking Two Worlds. Everything in Quannah's life started to change very fast, and it was all captured on camera.

Walking Two Worlds: So Kwanna closed the show, which is like a very big deal in the fashion industry, the show opener and the show closing. 

Maren: In the film you can see both the good sides of her sudden career explosion...

Quannah: Okay, here's my new apartment. 

Unnamed person (Walking Two Worlds): It's so beautiful. Show me what else. Is it two bedrooms? 

Quannah: Yeah, so, okay, there's still work, but obviously, like, we've done a lot. It looks so good. So, this whole place is brand spankin new. 

Maren: And the not so good.

Quannah: I've been having a lot more anxiety attacks. It's because I'm not home anymore, I'm away from my family, and I'm mostly in this, in this city now, and it's hard for me to reconnect.

In my spirit, I felt a loss, and it was because all I thought about was missing out on everything. Hunting, fishing, everything is under threat. And if I am not going to be able to go back home within the next few years, those things might be gone. 

Was it worth it?

Maren: Quannah's mom, Jody, had always known that her daughter would struggle to bridge the gap between the two worlds, because she'd done it herself.

Jody: I remember being Quannah’s age and like, you know, going to college in the lower 48 and having all these hopes and dreams for my future, but also feeling very pulled home to Alaska and a responsibility to my community and my culture. And, I remember realizing like, wow, I have these two worlds to navigate at the same time.

And so I felt like when I was raising my kids, it was really important for me to help them understand that, but also model, in the best way possible, how to navigate these two worlds. So I had to make sure they were really grounded in their culture and had a connection with their indigenous lands but also that they can still be successful in the modern world.

Maren: Besides offering motherly guidance, Jody is also Quannah's manager. And together, the two of them make sure that no matter what Quannah does as a model, she stays true to her roots.

Quannah: Having my mom help me, she's basically my momager, my manager. And so with every project, with every job that I do, she's on the call. She makes sure that I'm comfortable. She's the one that has kind of like the tough conversations with the client to make sure they understand that when you work with Quanah, this is what to expect, and what not to do, what not to say.

Maren: Holding those boundaries allows Quannah to keep one foot firmly in both of the worlds she walks. As a model, she wants to set an example for other Indigenous girls back home, who haven't seen people who look like her, like them, in these settings before.

Quannah: I want my community to be heard and seen in the right way. Not a stereotyped, not a, you know, fake version of what this industry wants natives to look like or be like or sound like.

Maren: Quannah also recognizes that her heritage is power. Because she is one of very few Indigenous models working at her level, she is a coveted talent. And she and her mom make it known that if companies want to work with her, they have to work with all of her. No changing her by covering her facial tattoos or cutting her hair. 

And in fact, the companies themselves may need to change. The fashion industry is a major contributor to climate change, and Quannah says she requires her partners to embrace her activism work.

Quannah: Now that I'm at a good place in my career where I can make demands and make changes, it's been really good to be able to work with brands that are like, ‘hey, we're actually really inspired by what you're doing outside of modeling. How can we support that?’

Jody: This is where I started to realize, even as her manager, like how much she does research and how much she pays attention.

And so her agents will bring an opportunity forward and she'll say, ‘oh, there, I don't like where they are on the sustainability scale. Like they need to do more and this is why.’ 

And so then Quannah, you know, she tells her agents and our agents give that brand the feedback.

And then a lot of times the brands do some reflection and say, actually, we could do better. And this is, these are now the initiatives we're going to take. 

To me, that's where I'm extremely proud because Quana will only work with brands or on a project that aligns with her values. And that to me is really power. You know, and that's inspiration and that's change.

Quannah: I feel like every brand has the power to give back, even if it's the littlest thing, there's something you can do beyond what you're doing, there's so much more we can do. I've been able to get a lot of donations to different native non profit organizations that work directly within our communities. I think it's important to realize that it is possible to be a part of these industries and create changes.

Maren: Using her voice, her face, and her influence, Quannah is pushing the fashion industry to evolve in a positive direction, from the inside out. And along the way, she is constantly telling her story. The story of a girl from Alaska, who knows the land like the back of her hand, and who has seen it change with her own eyes. A story that she hopes might inspire others to join her cause.

Quannah: Recently, like a month ago, I was in New York, and someone at a job asked me, like, where I was from. And they were, like, really intrigued by my tattoos and, I was explaining that I was Native American from Alaska and from South Dakota, that my bloodlines come from two tribes and they just couldn't comprehend it.

He literally could not comprehend it. And then they're like, wait, what tribe? So I told them my tribe's names and I told them I'm Lakota and Hanguichin from Alaska and Makota from South Dakota. He literally like took a step back and was like, ‘I thought those tribes were fake. Like, you know, from the movies.’

When you educate these people, they can also be a part of that awareness, you know, bringing awareness and whatnot. So. 

Tim: She recognizes this, the burden of being the, the bearer of this message and having to explain to people, what it is to be an indigenous person, what it is to be from a place that is under constant threat.

And she has to be constantly explaining that and re-explaining that. It is something that, again, for someone who's 21 years old, to be in this kind of spokesperson, leadership role, it's a great responsibility. It's a great burden. It's a great gift.

She, you know, made that realization pretty quickly that this is going to be the best thing that I can do to affect the kind of change that I want to see in the world. And she's jumped right in.

Maren: In 2021, Quannah and Jody started an organization called Native Youth Outdoors, which aims to increase Indigenous representation in outdoor sports.

Jody: I know for our family, being in the outdoors, whether it's in an indigenous aspect, whether we're at fish camp or mushing dogs or hunting or gathering, or in a more modern sense as snowboarders or mountain bikers or trail runners, being in the outdoors in any of those given capacities has been a big part of our wellness.

And so bringing that to native youth who may not have the access, who may not have the opportunity has, really Helped our family give back.

Maren: Last winter, they hosted a free snowboarding clinic for 30 native youth in Fairbanks, Alaska. It's just a start, but Quannah has big dreams for the project.

Quannah: The real overall goal with Native Youth Outdoors, is getting young people out and like, learning healthy coping mechanisms, and bringing them back to not just outdoor activities, but our culture. You know, and like, tying that in, being like, ‘hey, you know, you may be feeling depressed in winter time, but you could be outside doing these things.’

I want it to grow, but also I want it to benefit like more than just the few Native kids that we have in some of our communities. I want it to be, you know, welcoming to other kids outside of Alaska, from other Native communities. Like I want to open up that space for kids to have a safe space to be themselves, to learn, to like truly know and understand that our identity as indigenous people is so necessary to this world right now.

Maren: Quannah has set herself on a difficult path. But if she can navigate it, both of the worlds she walks will be better for those who follow in her footsteps.

Thank you to Quannah Chasinghorse and Jody Potts-Joseph for sharing their stories, and to Tim Sohn for speaking with me for this episode. You can watch Walking Two Worlds now on the North Face's YouTube channel, and read Tim's story in the September October 2023 issue of ���ϳԹ��� Magazine or online at outsideonline.com. 

This episode was written and produced by me, Maren Larsen, and edited by Michael Roberts. Music and mixing by Robbie Carver.

Listener, do you have a climate advocacy story you'd like to share? Record it as a voice memo and email it to us at podcast at outsideinc.com. And if you're enjoying this show, leave us a review wherever you listen, or tell your friends at New York Fashion Week about us.

The ���ϳԹ��� Podcast is made possible by our ���ϳԹ��� Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.