Meet the Indigenous influencer who shares traditional knowledge through TikTok

With the goal of spreading messages of love while teaching others about Indigenous practices, Sherry Whitehawk has connected with thousands of people online.

Through her videos on TikTok, the 69-year-old influencer shares her knowledge about smudging, baking traditional foods, and stories to her 130,000 followers and counting.

“People want to connect with their past in a good way, they want those memories,” Whitehawk shared.

“Especially when I share recipes of my childhood, they respond in such a loving way. When I'm making food, I'm sharing a recipe, but there's messages in there that I want to get out and they hear it, they get it, and I love it. I absolutely love it."

Although born in Sioux Valley, Manitoba, Whitehawk is a member of Cote First Nation and currently resides in Yorkton.

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Whitehawk said everything she shares with her followers comes from her childhood memories and stories she was told by her mother Kay Stevenson.

“I try to share stories about our culture. Some of our history has been very dark, but you need to look at that and take the good out of it,” she explained.

“For example, both my grandmother and mother went to residential school. My mother worked in the kitchen at the residential school. Although she never shared any recipes that came from there, she spoke about it often and she became a wonderful cook and of course taught us.”

Whitehawk said she is grateful to have a platform to tell people about the memories and practices that were passed down from her mother.

“I share the realities we [Indigenous people] have faced, as well as the struggle,” Whitehawk told CTV News.

“With that struggle came food, and with that food came the wonderful memories. That’s what I’m finding people are connecting with, they are connecting with those wonderful memories and the love because we had love.”

The idea for creating videos started about two years ago when Whitehawk’s granddaughter suggested she share her knowledge online with other Indigenous people.

“I recognize that our culture is getting lost slowly, I think, and it’s very important for people to be sharing knowledge,” explained Bethany Anderson, Whitehawk’s granddaughter.

“I know that grandma sharing knowledge with me, it’s like well there's more people that need to know this stuff and who would love to know this stuff, so why not try TikTok?"

Anderson added that being able to watch her grandmother make videos on her own and connect with people from across the world is heartwarming.

“I knew she would be good, but even when she hit 1,000 followers I was like ‘grandma do you understand people spend hours trying to make these videos to try and get a few views?’” Anderson laughed.

"It's just cute almost because I don't think she can comprehend how far her wings have spread.”