Haatepah

Haatepah (b. 1998) is an American actor and model. He frequently advocates for issues relating to Native Americans and environmentalism.

Interviews

“Our ways as Indigenous people go hand in hand with this land, because we are the land. All of us are the land.”
- Quoted in "The ClearBears Want Us to Embrace Nature" in Nike (2021-05-4)

“It’s great to finally have representation of our Indigenous people. We don’t look one way; we’re diverse. Having that representation is going to echo out our voices to be heard in spaces that they're usually not heard. I hope that inspires creativity within our community, and also confidence—a sense of confidence to be strong and to hold our head high.”
- Quoted in "Six Indigenous Models on Finally Feeling Seen in Fashion" in Vogue (2021-11-24)

“Long hair to me is a symbol of pride. A pride that has been marketed as shameful by Western belief systems. Back in the day, Indigenous children across the Americas were forced into boarding schools, and the idea was to kill the Indian, save the man. They would cut off our hair and would physically and mentally abuse us to forget our cultural ways and language and to forcefully take on someone else’s. I wear my hair long to honor my ancestors and the sacrifice they made, because they didn’t have a choice. I have the option to grow it long. So I hold my hair with pride.”
- As quoted in Christian Allaire, The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures, Annick Press, (April 27, 2021), p. 24.

“You can’t run from your reflection… you can try to lighten your skin, change your hair, but the one thing you can’t run from is yourself. I want to influence people of color to be proud of where they come from and to reconnect with their roots.”
- Stated in "An honest conversation about colorism in the Latino community" on Good Morning America (2021-09-18)