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Frequently Asked Questions
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Do you have a full
color catalog? Sorry, but currently our catalog is
only online. We are hoping to produce a catalog SOME DAY.
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What
does "Rez Dog" mean? Well,
"Rez" is short for reservation. A reservation dog is a tough
survivor, a community dog of sorts, and we liked that spirit - so that's why
we named our company "Rez Dog Clothing Company" for the sense of
community and the tough survivor in all of us!
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Your company number
appears to be 49, and you refer to a 49 a lot, what is the significance? A
49 is the name of the after pow-wow party where singing and celebrating (and
the occasional snaggin') goes on into the night. Popular legend has it, a
long time ago there was a battle where 50 warriors went off to fight. Only 1
returned. So they had a celebration in honor of the 49 who died. The 49
evolved into what it is today. We liked that story, so we use 49 as our
number on our shirts, jerseys and party shirts.
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Is Rez Dog Clothing Company an Indian owned and operated
company? Yes What are your Tribal affiliations
and family? Owner Keith DeHaas is enrolled with the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in Fort Yates, North Dakota. He is Lakota Sioux
from his mother Rita Ann McLaughlin DeHaas' side. His father, Bill DeHaas is
enrolled with the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma. Keith is descended from
great chiefs on both his mother and his father's sides. Chief Mad Bear was
on his mother's side. Chief Chon-ca-pe was the great Otoe Chief who met
Lewis and Clark, Chief Arkeketah and Chief Big Kansas were famous chiefs on
his father's side. Mary Boardman-DeHaas mother Edna Boardman was born
on the Fort Peck Sioux Reservation in Montana. Her father was the late
Reverend Harold Boardman of Dunseith, North Dakota.
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Who are
Rez Dog, Old Dog and Lil' Dog we keep reading about? Those
are the nicknames of our guys who are out on the pow-wow highway
working the Rez Dog booth. Rez Dog - Keith DeHaas, Old Dog - Bill
DeHaas, Lil' Dog - Kylor DeHaas. And they are all related. But don't forget the girls: K-Dog -
Kasey Haze, Diva Dog - Mary DeHaas (We don't get out on the road as much
as the guys do!)
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I've never modeled
before, could I still become one of "The Girls of Rez Dog Clothing
Company?" We have a great mix of girls who
have modeled extensively, as well as the girl next door who never modeled
before in her life, but when she sent in her application pictures, we saw
something special. If you show us that special something in your photos, you
bet, you've got a chance, just as well as the next girl! Just remember - you
need to be able to produce a CDIB card.
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The Native American
gift shops in my part of the country don't carry Rez Dog or Native Naturals. How come?
Suggest
it to them, ask your local gift shops to carry Rez Dog or our new spa line
Native Naturals, and then e-mail us
their contact information. We'll be happy to give them a call and see if
they would like to be official retailers of the Rez Dog Clothing Company
line.
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I'm a vendor and travel
to pow-wows as well. Could I carry the Rez Dog Clothing Company line in my
booth along with my other Native American products? You
bet! I would be happy to sell to you wholesale and have you join our family
of official Rez Dog Clothing Company pow-wow vendors. Maybe you just want to
carry the calendar or our Native Naturals - American Indian Spa Line, that's okay too. Call us.
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How did
you come up with the idea to produce a Native American swimsuit calendar? Keith
prints many "Property of...." athletic shirts with different
Tribes. (Example: Property of Lakota Nation Athletic Dept.) As a lark,
he printed up some "Property of Rez Dog Bikini Team" t-shirts. As
soon as they went on the table, everyone started asking him if we really had
a bikini team, and if our bikini team had a calendar or poster out. We
thought that was a great idea, so we saved our money for 2 years to produce
it, and the rest....is becoming history!
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What does "NDN"
stand for? Okay...say it fast...... NDN........again.....
NDN......get it?????? "NDN" is our little Rez Dog play on words
for the word "Indian."
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Our Native American
Student Association is looking for a fundraiser. Can you recommend
something? You bet! A terrific fundraiser right now
for your group might be selling "The Girls of Rez Dog Clothing Company" calendars. Call us for details on how your organization can make
great $$$$$$$$ selling these awesome calendars of American Indian
Beauties!!! Another great fundraise idea is selling our new spa line: Native
Naturals - American Indian Spa Line. Selling our Sweetgrass Hand & Body
Lotions would be a great fundraiser idea for you.
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When are you going to
be producing a hot men's calendar for us ladies? Well,
we have only received a few applications so far. We need those hot guys to
enter. We are working right now on securing sponsorship for a men's
calendar. (Calendars are pretty expensive to produce.) So as soon as we have
the funds....
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Can I get a free
calendar? NO
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Does Rez Dog Clothing
Company promote the "Gansta" lifestyle? We
are a small hard working Indian family company specializing in Indian
athletic apparel and humorous tees. We started out on the pow-wow circuit in
1998 with 4 designs, and have grown our company to over 100 designs, using
our own money, initiative, and hard work. We chose the Rez Dog as our symbol
and logo because it is the tough scruffy survivor, the community dog that
every reservation across the country has in common. We liked the concept of
relating to ourselves with pride and humor through that scrappy little
survivor, the Rez Dog. If you own a Rez Dog ballcap, beanie or hoody, it is
owner Keith DeHaas that does 100% of that design and embroidery work himself
in his workshop.
If
there are some Indian “gangsta” type kids somewhere in this country
wearing our apparel, we are not aware of it, nor do we promote or endorse
that lifestyle. We understand Indian kids were being told they could not
wear Native Pride or Native Threads to school for fear it might be gang
related. That has never been a problem with Rez Dog Clothing Company
apparel. Main stream contemporary clothing includes graffiti as just one
design element. We offer a hip alternative to buying FUBU, Ecko or Tommy
Hilfiger. You can feel pride in being Indian when you purchase and wear Rez
Dog, and we try to reflect all Indians in our product line.
Questions Asked about the Am.
Indian Beauties Calendar
When
you look at main stream media, you see White, Black, Hispanic and Asians, but
where are the Native Americans? For years we have heard our models and actors
say they can’t get jobs in the entertainment industry because they are pigeon
holed in the rolls that they are being offered and are still perceived as
buffalo hunters, and just out of the teepee in their buckskin dress. All we are
doing by producing a swimsuit calendar is evening the playing field a little and
giving our models who want to pose in swimwear the opportunity and forum to do
so. Why not have equal opportunities for our Indian women? Our 2004 cover model,
Jamie Vondal-Everett took the calendar around to agencies in
Los Angeles
and got signed with the same agent that handles successful models Brooke Burke
and Nikki Ziering. This calendar is being used as a stepping stone for the
beautiful women in it who want to further their modeling and acting careers. In
2004 Jamie featured in FHM Magazine and Maxim Magazine. She was also in a Bud
Lite commercial and was in the movie "Cellular".
Until
main stream media can see us as something other than savages and buckskin
wearing teepee dwellers, we will never get further than that in the roles our
models and actors are offered. Well, we
could be like the Taliban and put all of our Indian women in burkas and keep
them completely covered. That way no one could look at us, or see us as having
beautiful bodies or a sexuality.
Yes,
times are changing. Do we as Native people have to change with the times? Not in
everything, no, but isn’t it nice to live in a free country where we can have
the opportunity to view or be in a swimsuit calendar if we want to and still
dance and celebrate our great past and traditions!
We
have not now, nor have we EVER marketed and advertised this calendar as a
“role models for young Native American girls” calendar. The calendar has
always been marketed for ADULTS as “The only all-American Indian swimsuit
calendar.” PERIOD. These women are college students, bright, articulate,
self confident high achievers and quite active in their community. The
calendar is a piece of fun, not a social commentary on the American Indian.
There are hundreds of swimsuit calendars out there, most alot more risqué than
this one, so why the controversy? This calendar also helps to raise
funds for the Native American Cancer Research Corp.
No,
absolutely not! None of the models are nude and none are showing private parts.
That would be pornography. It is just a swimsuit calendar, shot in the style of
Sports Illustrated, but with Indian women in natural settings – mountains,
rocks, waterfalls, creeks, in fields of wild flowers and on horseback. There are
hundreds of swimsuits calendars out there, ours is not shocking, the women are
classy, fun and beautiful. Not nude or in sexual situations, that would be
pornographic, this is not.
Yes,
the models are financially compensated for the shoot plus they receive an all
expense paid trip, stay in a beautiful resort for a week, they receive all of
their photo shoot pictures for their portfolios, hundreds of dollars worth of
free swimwear and Rez Dog clothing, and they have a week to network with their
peers. After expenses, a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of this
calendar are going to Native American Cancer Research. This calendar was
produced and dedicated to the memory of Miss Indian America 1955 - Rita Ann
McLaughlin DeHaas (mother of Rez Dog owner Keith DeHaas), who died of breast
cancer. Mary’s mother, Edna Boardman, is a breast cancer
survivor. We wanted to do something to give back to Native American Cancer
Research, so we chose this area within our company to do that.
The
Miss America pageant has been a scholarship pageant for years and a big portion
of that pageant is the swimwear competition. Every one of the Miss America
contestants is considered a role model in her community and state, despite her
decision to appear on National television in swimwear. She does it to show her
self confidence in her body and physical appearance, just as the 12 models for
Rez Dog do. It was big competition to appear in the Rez Dog calendar, with over
150 applicants that apply each year for a spot. The 12 models chosen for the Rez
Dog calendar are judged not only on physical appearance, but on achievements,
education, and self confidence. Whether we like it or not, we are always judged
to an extent on our physical appearance. It is human nature, and I don’t think
that will ever change.
Rez
Dog Clothing Company has always been known for maintaining high standards in our
growing product line. Indian people have embraced our company because of these
quality products but more importantly because of our company’s commitment to
uplift the spirit of all Tribal people. Rez Dog Clothing Company understands the
ongoing struggle of American Indians in this modern age.
Thanks for your
questions.
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