Natives to Know: Joey Montoya
Lipan Apache Band of Texas
Grief and loss affect different people in different ways. Some seek solace by turning inward. Others find peace outside of themselves by connecting with others. Joey Montoya was just about to enter his freshman year at San Jose University when he lost his father. Reconnecting with parts of his community was a part of his mourning process.
This became a catalyst that would change his life and touch the lives of countless others.
Montoya was raised in the Mission District of San Francisco. His mother was an El Salvadoran immigrant, who worked hard cleaning houses and selling clothing on Mission street to take care of Joey and his six siblings. He got his hustle from her.
Montoya’s father was a veteran born in Texas. Joey got his Lipan Apache heritage from him. Growing up, he mostly learned about his culture from his older siblings and participating in community events. Montoya considers himself an “Urban Native,” along with about 70% of the Indigenous population of the so-called United States who were raised away from their tribal lands.
His father’s passing drove Montoya to reconnect with his Native heritage. And that coincided with the rise of the Idle No More movement among the First Nations people of Canada. So Montoya spent his early years of college driving up and down California, photographing rallies and round dances in support of the movement and bringing attention to the cause through social media.
Around this time, he formed Urban Native Era (U.N.E.). It was initially an online platform designed to bring awareness to Indigenous issues. In 2013, Montoya designed his first t-shirt to support his advocacy work and the seed for the Urban Native Era clothing line you know and love today was planted.
Montoya’s “You are on Native land” design spread like wildfire on dad caps, beanies and more. Eventually, REI came calling, and the brand launched in their stores last year. As a result of Montoya’s tireless activism, he’s connected with major celebrities like Shailene Woodley and Mark Ruffalo, who have repped the U.N.E. brand.
Most important, though, U.N.E. is having a deep impact on its customers. As Montoya shared with Julian Brave NoiseCat for his blog, “[a] lot of people get so lost in the city,” but when Native people wear his clothing, it gives them a way to express their identity and bring attention to Indigenous issues. “It takes our culture with us,” he explains. “It says we’re Native, we’re here, we’re in this city.”
Learn more at https://urbannativeera.com/
