Paddling from tradition to modernity.
Onquata means " comes from winter ". This is Lara Siouï's Wendat name and the name she gave to her business. Sitting on a log near the First Nations Hotel Museum in Wendake, the young woman, passionate about nature, tells me about her journey and the genesis of her project.
Lara goes to the forest with her mother whenever she can. During one of these shared moments, they decided to decorate their respective cabins. They brought old paddles that they stripped, painted and varnished. The result exceeded their expectations; this decoration represents their culture. The 30-year-old Huron-Wendat woman has now owned her business of decorated paddles for 3 years.
Certain that other people in their community would want to use these modern paddles for their canoe trips, or as decoration, they started selling them in Wendake. This is how Onquata was born.
A mother who has just retired and who uses her creativity and artistic sense, and a dynamic young woman with entrepreneurship in her blood – in short, a perfectly harmonious duo to lead this paddle manufacturing project.
Never having been able to exploit her artistic side, Lara's mother thrives in making paddles and patterns with modern colors, while preserving Wendat traditions. For her part, Lara focuses on marketing, after-sales service, customer contact, administration, accounting, and photography, among other things.
In her daily life, Lara works full-time at Premium Siding with her brother and father. Onquata therefore takes up most of her evenings and weekends.
The company currently has one employee who makes paddles. This process can take between 2 hours 30 minutes and 4 hours, depending on the size.
Among her clients are Simons and Les Lofts Charest: "It gives us great visibility," she says. But really, the collaboration that most marked Lara was during the 2019 National Holiday. Her company was honored at this great celebration as a sign of collaboration between cultures. In addition, the Grand Chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Konrad Sioui, is a good client; he gives Onquata paddles to his business partners.
"The paddle helps to build bridges; it helps to keep moving forward."
Indigenous Entrepreneurship
According to Lara, Indigenous businesses stand out for their difference, their richness, and the unique stories they have to tell. The Hurons-Wendat have always been known for their strength in commerce. Lara believes that her entrepreneurial spirit partly comes from there. She goes for it, no matter the situation and the challenges encountered.
However, she finds it more complicated to manage taxation given the Indian Act, which complicates the process. It's not easy to find tax specialists who know about it: "I miss it; I have so many questions and few answers."
Her business has led her to invaluable personal experiences. Every year, Lara and her mother go to the Moisie River with a recognized Innu fishing guide, Réginald Atshapi, to catch one of the best salmon in the world. In exchange, she offers him paddles for his fishing trips.
The person behind the entrepreneur
Lara has been immersed in the world of entrepreneurship her whole life. She started working for the family business, Éconobois, at the age of 13. Her parents, uncles, aunts, and two grandfathers are all entrepreneurs.
After studying international business, Lara became director at Éconobois – Revêtement Premium, a quality wood manufacturing plant. It's a challenging position that teaches her every day about management and entrepreneurship.
Lara finds the balance essential to her life in her nature getaways. She finds fulfillment in her hobbies and social life as much as in her work. Her secret to having time to do everything: be efficient, don't take on too much, and learn to delegate.
The Future of Onquata
There is huge potential in Europe. Many orders from Switzerland have been placed: "People paid $150-200 for delivery," Lara confides, impressed by the enthusiasm her product generates.
For now, Lara has sales points in Quebec and Ontario, and she ships internationally. Currently, Lara is not developing her business as she would like because she is too busy producing.
The next step is to build a workshop in Wendake to increase production. Lara wants more paddles to be offered on the Canadian and international markets. But the construction of the workshop has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Lara, it is fundamental to create jobs for the people in her community. She wants to transmit her passion for nature, creativity, and craftsmanship to both her employees and her customers. "When we have our workshop, why not hold creative workshops with young people from the community to inspire them to create, as well as the natural and traditional movement," she suggests.