From their design and production to the impact of every purchase, the Home Flight blankets have a story we’re proud to share — Native-designed, UO alumna-designed, and produced by Eighth Generation, the first Native-owned company to ever produce wool blankets. Proceeds benefit students and alumni through the Many Nations Longhouse and the Native Duck Nation Alumni Network.
The Home Flight blankets are a collaboration between the UO Alumni Association, the Many Nations Longhouse, and The Duck Store. They were designed by Kale’a Calica-Younker (Coquille/Coos/Warm Springs/Yakama) who is a University of Oregon alum, and her father Shirod Younker (Coquille/Miluk Coos/Umpqua).
The Home Flight blanket is inspired by traditional basket designs and seasonal changes. The double-sided print highlights the return patterns of ducks working together to navigate a long journey. The blankets remind us of the beauty found in nature and mixes that with UO’s traditional green and yellow.
"When the artist creates these things, it goes into every single blanket, and then when you give those blankets away or you sell those blankets, that positive spirit carries on to the individual that has it," says Jason Younker, Chief of the Coquille Indian Tribe and Assistant Vice President and Advisor to the President on Sovereignty and Government-to-Government Relations at the University of Oregon.
When you purchase the Home Flight Blanket, proceeds will go towards the Many Nations Longhouse and the Native Duck Nation Alumni Network. Since October 2023, $5863 has been donated to these programs supporting University of Oregon students and alumni.