THE A LIST

Model Quannah Chasinghorse Gave Us a Tour of Her Alaska Hometown

She's walked runways and starred in campaigns for all manner of high-end brands, but Quannah Chasinghorse hasn't forgotten her roots.
portrait of model quannah chasinghorse in her hometown of fairbanks alaska. she wears a bronze thin strap dress with her...
Chasinghorse supports Indigenous designers whenever she can. For this shoot, she chose a dress by B. Yellowtail and jewelry by Tania Larsson.

Quannah Chasinghorse is a member of The A List, which honors individuals who are driving and shaping the future of beauty. Two years ago, she was a determined teenager advocating for Indigenous land and climate preservation. Today, Chasinghorse, a member of the Hän Gwich'in and Oglala Lakota tribes, has walked runways for Gucci and Chloé and starred in campaigns for Calvin Klein and Chanel. She gives a voice to her people and her passions in everything she does and, with her traditional face tattoos, defies the thinking that a model is no more than a blank canvas. Here, she pays tribute to her roots — and the people who planted them — in Fairbanks, Alaska.

I was born in Tuba City, Arizona. My mom was going to college at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, so we were there for a lot of my baby years. After that, we went to Mongolia where my grandparents were. We ended up living there for two years. I eventually became fluent in Mongolian, but before that my mom would put the fashion channel on TV because there were no words, just runway shows. I would sit there in front of the TV, mesmerized. I became so in love with modeling.

I was five when we went back to America. We took the Trans-Siberian Railway through Europe and there are photos of me posing in front of Dior and Louis Vuitton. We went back to Arizona so my mom could finish up college, and after that we moved to Alaska. My mom wanted to expose my brothers and me to our culture and enrich our lives with our teachings [the Hän Gwich'in tribe is from Alaska and Canada]. We lived out in the woods, in a cabin. We had to chop wood for fire. We had to hunt and fish. We picked berries.

Chasinghorse with her Auntie Natasha's one-year-old son, Isaac. "He's going to be a chief when he's older. I know it," says Chasinghorse. "He has a lot to say!" B. Yellowtail dress. Tania Larsson jewelry.

As I grew older, I spent more time with elders, asking questions [about our culture]. Something my mom always repeated to us is to never forget who you are and where you come from. It's just a saying, but when you think about it, it's so deep... because my bloodlines and my lineage and my family, we are products of multiple genocides. We're still here, and we're breaking the cycle. We're turning pain into power and trying to create a path so that other people can follow.

At 14, I was the first Indigenous girl [in my tribe] that young to receive a traditional tattoo in probably over a century. I waited [to get my first tattoo] until I was educated enough that I could speak on it and know what I was talking about. Before then, starting at 12, I would just draw it on with [eyeliner].

Chasinghorse's mother, Jody Potts-Joseph (left), inked her daughter's traditional tattoos, or Yidįįłtoo. Each line represents a different point or achievement or responsibility in a woman's life, and tradition dictates that they be hand-poked by another woman. Chasinghorse's first, a line down the center of her chin, represents her coming of age.

Chasinghorse expertly applying false lashes on her mom.

My aunties were a big part of my upbringing. I never had a father growing up, but I had a lot of really badass matriarchs who influenced me. They made sure that I knew my voice was important and that I had power in that. I learned everything from them. Right before I went on my first advocacy trip to Washington, DC, I took a class on tribal governance taught by one of my aunties. So in every space that I went into where I did advocacy, I always had an auntie or my mom there. I never felt alone. I always felt empowered.

I want my people to be proud [of me]. I want them to live through me. And having them there to share the experience [of this photo shoot] was so much fun. We did each other's makeup and hair. Almost all [the jewelry and clothing] was handmade by one of my aunties. The industry has, in the past, appropriated Native American traditions and art, never recognizing where those designs came from. So it's really important for me to uplift my own people.

Chasinghorse (center) with her "badass" aunties (from left): Carrie Stevens, an associate professor of tribal governance at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; Princess Johnson, a producer on Molly of Denali (an animated children's show that follows the adventures of a 10-year-old Indigenous girl); Natasha Singh, a tribal attorney; and Melissa Charlie, deputy director of the Fairbanks Native Association and designer of the parka Chasinghorse wears above. On Stevens: Joyce Roberts blazer. Lynette Frank earrings and bracelet. On Johnson: B. Yellowtail dress. Deloole’aanh Ericksonn earrings. On Singh: Jason Wu dress. Lynette Frank earrings. Shaax' Saani of Indigenous Princess necklace and bracelet. On Charlie: Anthropologie dress. Lynette Frank earrings.

I just moved to Los Angeles from Alaska a few months ago and it was a huge transition. I miss my family. I miss my people. I get really homesick and I really do long for the land when I'm in concrete cities for too long. So it is extremely important for me to stay connected to my culture. It's a big part of my identity. Not just as me, myself, but as an Indigenous person. I wouldn't be here without it.

Sittings editor: Tchesmeni Leonard. Makeup: Amelia Paul-Koyukuk Village. 

This story originally appeared in the March 2022 issue of Allure. Learn how to subscribe here.

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