‘Being an entrepreneur is my culture:’ Wakefield’s Khewa Indigenous Art Gallery and Boutique was born of fire

Khewa, the Indigenous art gallery boutique in Wakefield, was born out of fire and ashes.

A refugee from an abusive relationship, a 26-year-old Nathalie Coutou was looking for a safe place to land when she arrived in Wakefield in 1996. Coutou, whose father is French and mother Mi'kmaq, was running from the violence in her personal life, and a more widespread hostility towards Natives after the Oka.

Her world was in crisis.

“I never associated myself growing up as just one identity, Canadian, Quebecoise, Indigenous or Métis,” Coutou says. “My roots are multicultural. That's why I came here. I felt at home.”

A graphic artist with no business training to speak of, Coutou opened Khewa in 2000 as a meeting place with art. On her first day, she only had 13 paintings for sale. She named her gallery Khewa after the north wind; the same wind, she says, that blew her into Wakefield.

More importantly, she had created a space where people like her – Métis, mixed-race, First Nations and Canadian artists, artisans and their friends – would feel welcome.

“There was nowhere I could find myself except through entrepreneurship,” Coutou explains. “I love people. They feel safe [and] accepted here.”

Despite Coutou's goodwill and best intentions, the village proved slow to warm to a shop selling Aboriginal art. The Oka crisis was still fresh, and racism towards First Nations was festering. Nevertheless, Coutou was on a mission to make a home for her children, keep her boutique going and help pave the way to make Indigenous culture Canadian culture.

There were lean years in the beginning. No matter, Coutou was confident her boutique would succeed eventually.

“The accountant didn't know how I stayed open after the first year,” Coutou says laughing a little. “I borrowed money and kept opening the door every day. I was determined to keep my dream alive.”

Twenty years later, Khewa is regarded as one of the leading galleries for Indigenous arts and crafts in the region, winning the Outaouais' Grand Prize for Tourism in 2007.

On the morning I visited, customers were lined up waiting for a half-hour before she opened the store.

Every item Khewa sells — clothing, art, footwear and housewares — is made in Canada by Indigenous artists and artisans. In 2018, she launched Coutou Collection, a line of wearable art she designs.

“Being an entrepreneur is my culture,” she says. “I was born to make things happen. Khewa is a life legacy, a commitment to support Indigenous, Inuit and Métis art and culture.”

A charismatic storyteller, she gradually seduced the community, building professional relationships and a business selling art, crafts, footwear and jewelry. Every item comes with a story.

“I have to keep regular hours, otherwise we'd never close,” she says.

She also hosts social and educational events to promote Indigenous art and shares time with the community. She started producing the Wakefield Harvest Festival, an event she produced for eight years.

“I'm a guide to cultural, entrepreneurial understanding,” she says after some thought. “I believe in people coming together without judgment through dialogue.”

“I had no clue that it was going to be here for 20 years,” she laughs. “Everything in the boutique is due to the resilience of the artist who believes they can make a difference with their art.”