Nak'azdli student becomes her own boss selling bannock as pandemic cuts into part-time work

For young Nak'azdli Whut'en member Eliza Coutts, bannock isn't just delicious, it's also something that helps her connect to her culture.

In early January, Coutts, 15, started her online venture Youth Bannock while living in Kamloops, B.C., selling the Indigenous delicacies on Facebook Marketplace and other social media platforms.

Now in Vancouver, the Grade 10 student, who started making bannock when she was young remembers how good it felt to sell the treat to Indigenous elders and young people at a powwow.

"It was just delicious. It was so fluffy and gorgeous," Coutts told CBC's Jenifer Norwell. "I was so happy and it was so good."

According to the last Canadian census in 2016, the unemployment rate for non-Indigenous youth aged 15 to 24  was 15 per cent, but 23 per cent for Indigenous youth.

Coutts is still a student and works part time at local restaurants after school, but she says it has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic to find part-time work, so she decided to become her own boss.

And besides, she loves making and selling bannock.

"Honestly, for me, it just doesn't make me feel good not doing something that I like," she said. "It's also hard to be in touch with your culture and be connected and help spread that when you're doing your job part time."

Her sister Bernadette Coutts, 16, thinks it's a great idea.

"It's a great thing because not only can she make an income for herself, but she can make and spread love and everything for the entire community," she said. "Not many people know anything about the [Indigenous] culture, so it's just good that she's getting everything out there."

Their mother Farah Palmer says Eliza is a talented girl and wasn't surprised when she indicated an interest in starting her own business.

"When she gets something in her head that that she wants to do, she just passionately puts herself into it," Palmer said. 

Coutts says making bannock is also a good distraction from the pandemic still raging outside her kitchen.

"It just makes me feel good inside, because I know I'm doing something right, and it's only a [few] ingredients for such a beautiful thing to eat."

LISTEN | Eliza Coutts explains to CBC's Jenifer Norwell why she started a bannock business