Njshzhee — “The Hunt”

Releases 11/13/26

A Thanksgiving Collaboration with Nick Lopez of El Mescalero Shaves

This Thanksgiving release, Njshzhee, is a collaboration with Nick Lopez of El Mescalero Shaves, created as a celebration of gratitude, but also as a moment of remembrance.

The name Njshzhee (pronounced In-Jesh-Shay) comes from Nick’s Mescalero Apache language and heritage. As Nick explained it to us, there isn’t a direct Mescalero word that translates exactly to the English word “hunt.” Instead, Njshzhee describes the act of the hunt — the pursuit itself.

That meaning became the foundation for this release.

Nick’s original idea was inspired by the Apache hunter moving through wooded country and across open prairie, sometimes crawling through the grass to quietly approach his prey. That image shaped the fragrance: bright natural notes giving way to spice, dry earth, woods, leather, and the warmth of the land.

But Njshzhee became about more than the fragrance.

Thanksgiving has become a celebration of family, food, freedom, and the building of a new life in America. For generations of immigrants, this land represented the chance to escape persecution, hardship, and oppression and begin again. That is an important part of the American story.

But it is not the entire story.

Long before those new arrivals came to these shores, Indigenous peoples had called the Americas home for thousands of years. They built nations, communities, traditions, languages, and cultures deeply connected to the lands around them. As America grew, many of those ancient cultures endured tremendous loss and change.

This soap is our small way of remembering that part of the Thanksgiving story without taking anything away from the gratitude the holiday represents.

This is not meant to make a political statement.

It is simply about remembering.

Remembering the people who were here before us. Remembering the cultures that survived and those that were lost. Remembering that the land we are fortunate enough to call home has a history far older than our own.

And on a holiday centered around giving thanks, we believe there is room to be thankful for what America became while still honoring those who came before.

Njshzhee — A Thanksgiving release from The Cajun Blade Store and El Mescalero Shaves, made in gratitude, remembrance, and respect.

The Scent

Njshzhee follows an Apache hunter through woods and prairie. Mahogany, and cedar lead this woody, earthy scent, with vetiver, moss, and worn leather beneath warm cardamom and black pepper. Bergamot and neroli lend a touch of brightness, while amber and restrained tonka soften the finish.

For Njshzhee, we are using our El Mescalero Base. The backbone is Bison tallow, and mutton tallow. These traditional animal fats were chosen in recognition of the wild game and livestock that have sustained people across this continent and of the Indigenous communities whose histories stretch back millennia before the America we know.

These specialty tallows make this an expensive base to produce. To keep the purchase price manageable, Njshzhee will be offered in 4 oz tubs.