trading post times 2013.pdf · related story in the july 2013 trading post times.) a few years...
TRANSCRIPT
IS AMERICAN INDIAN ART BECOMING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
Trading Post TimesTrading Post TimesTrading Post TimesTrading Post Times
Volume 10, Issue 4 October:December 2013
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
• 13th Anniversary Celebration,
Friday, November 9
11 am to 9 pm
River Trading Post
Dundee, Scottsdale, Website
• Pueblo Seasonal Dances. Please check
Pueblos for dates and times
R i v e r T r a d i n g P o s t
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Great Gift Ideas For The Season
2
Favorite Places: Kasha-Katuwe
4
On Friday, November 8, River
Trading Post will celebrate our
13th birthday in our galleries
and on our website.
Be certain to mark your calen-
dars, and join us in Dundee,
Scottsdale or on our River
Trading Post website to enjoy
special Birthday Values on any
of your purchases.
It is our way of saying “Thank
You” for your great support
over 13 wonderful years.
R IVER TRADING POST CELEBRATES 13 GREAT YEARS . THANK YOU !
A few weeks as we visited the
White Mountain Apache mu-
seum in Fort Apache, Arizona.
The museum displayed a great
number of wonderful old Apache
baskets, all of which were on
loan to the museum from several
collectors. A note in the exhibit
told us that Apache people are
no longer making baskets, and
the elders who knew how to
make them are now gone. (See
related story in the July 2013
Trading Post Times.)
A few years back, we visited the
Blackfeet Cultural Center in
Browning, Montana. There, we
purchased two beautiful exam-
ples of contemporary quillwork.
Later, we discovered that these
beautiful pipe bags were actually
made by a Czech artist who was
teaching quillwork to members
of the Blackfeet nation. Virtually
no quillwork is being created
anymore by American Indians.
The same holds true with
beadwork. The days of bead-rich
bandolier bags, moccasins, to-
bacco bags and saddles are gone
for good. At best, beads today
are used as accents, frequently
using cheap craft beads. Great
contemporary beadwork, using
high-quality materials, is only
being done by a handful of artists
such as JT Willie, IACA’s 2013
Artist of the Year.
Yet there are spots of vibrancy in
American Indian art today, par-
ticularly in pottery, jewelry mak-
ing, weaving, sculpture, and the
resurgence of the neo-traditional
Hopi kachina doll. In these ar-
eas, traditional and contempo-
rary art is still being produced by
people continuing the work of
generations before them. Many
of these artists are still able to
support themselves and their
families while honoring their
cultural artistic heritage.
Unfortunately, as with other art
disciplines, there is a wider and
wider gap between those great
artists and others who are being
forced to find other lines of work
in today’s economy.
We don’t think that American
Indian art in general is an endan-
gered species, but many forms of
that art are being lost. Soon,
antiques will be all we have left.
Sadly, some art forms are gone
forever. Happily other art forms
will be with us for years to come.
Trading Post Times Page 2
A Pendleton Blanket From The American Indian College Fund From the American Indian
College Fund, River Trading
Post offers a selection of Pen-
dleton Blankets created espe-
cially for the American Indian
College Fund.
We have a wide selection of
beautiful Pendleton blankets
that help send kids to college,
and make wonderful gifts.
Visit our website, or see these
blankets in our galleries.
Greetings For All Seasons A great way to keep in touch
all year round is with a selec-
tion of hand made greeting
cards from Taos artist, Debbie
Lujan
From The Hopi Mesas
You certainly will make some-
one very happy with a selec-
tion from our Hopi Kachina
doll collection.
You will find a great
selection from the finest Hopi
carvers, such as Augustine
Mowa III, Ryon Polequap-
tewa, Raynard Lalo, Ed
Seechoma, Clark Tenak-
hongva and others in our gal-
leries and on our website.
A Classic Navajo Weaving For Any Home Style Nothing is quite as beautiful, or special, as a weaving from the
world’s finest weavers, the Navajo. Whether contemporary, or
historic, you will find an exceptional selection of fine Navajo
weavings at River Trading Post.
Create Your Own Gift Basket With Stocking Stuffers from River Trading Post
Have some fun by creating your
own American Indian art themed
Gift Basket. Perhaps a pound or
two of Arbuckle's Ariosa Cof-
fee...the cowboy coffee that won
the west; an authentic Zuni fetish,
and maybe a bit of Turtle Clan
Art from Oneida artist, Mark
Fischer, to keep you company.
A mouse rug is a great treat for
folks that love Navajo weavings,
but would appreciate something
just a bit smaller, and a bit less
expensive.
And to top things off, maybe a
tin or two of our specially hand-
made Navajo salves to sooth
your special someone.
Volume 10, Issue 4 Page 3
Plains Beadwork For An Exquisite Home Accent
Among our favorites for stunning home accent pieces is the
exceptional beadwork of the Plains people. Beaded moccasins,
vests and dresses make for outstanding display pieces, and are
highly collectable. You will find beadwork from the late 1800’s to
the present in our galleries and on our website.
Turtle Clan Art from Oneida Artist, Mark Fischer Mark Fischer’s copper work
is filled with fun and joy,
and his wonderful work is
available only at River Trad-
ing Post.
Beautiful Work From The Reed
The Navajo, Hopi, Pima,
and other Native American
people create absolutely
stunning works of basketry
that are favorites among
collectors of fine art.
A Little Something For Year Round Choose from a hand-picked
selection of classic tradi-
tional and contemporary
bracelets, necklaces, bolos
and buckles. Including work
from IACA “Artist of the
Year” award winners. Just
the best.
Fine Sculpture Adds Joy, Warmth
Award winning sculptors Cliff Fragua, and Caroline Carpio are at
the top of their game. You can find a wide range of beautiful
original stone and limited edition bronze work by these renowned
artists at River Trading Post.
Spirits In Clay
Pottery made according to
age old tradition is always a
gift favorite.
Choose from a great collec-
tion of contemporary, or pre-
Columbian masterpieces.
River Trading PostRiver Trading PostRiver Trading PostRiver Trading Post 314 N. River Street
Dundee, Illinois 60118
847-426-6901
7033 E. Main Street, 102
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
480-444-0001
www.rivertradingpost.com
We extend holiday greetings to
you. Come visit one of our fine
galleries, or drop in on our web-
site. We believe that you will
find something to make this
season very special for you and
for your loved ones.
Come visit. Enjoy!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM R IVER TRADING POST
Scottsdale Dundee
Phone: 866-426-6901 www.rivertradingpost.com
314 N. River Street East Dundee, IL 60118
Arts of Native America
FAVORITE PLACES : KASHA-KATUWE: TENT ROCKS OF COCHITI PUEBLO
They call it Kasha-Katuwe. It is a quiet place that reflects human occu-
pations spanning 4,000 years. During the 14th and 15th centuries, many
large ancestral pueblos were established, and their descendants, the
Pueblo de Cochiti, still inhabit the area surrounding Kasha-Katuwe, or
“white cliffs” in the Keresan language of Cochiti.
Visitors are awestruck by the tent-shaped rocks that snuggle up against
the cliffs of Peralta Canyon. The uniform shape of hundreds of these
tent rocks, that vary in height from a few feet to 90 feet, makes one won-
der who sculpted these magnificent pieces. Truth is, the creation process
began six to seven million years ago with a huge volcanic explosion
northwest of the site, leaving volcanic debris up to 400 feet deep.
Over time, water cut through the debris to form canyons, arroyos and
the tent rocks which are pumice and tuff deposits. Each tent rock is pro-
tected by a tougher pumice and tuff erosion-resistant caprock.
Today, visitors will still find small, rounded, translucent obsidian
(volcanic glass) fragments that were spewed about way back when.
The site is near Cochiti Pueblo, just southwest of Santa Fe, NM., and
has a number of walking trails. Since the altitude here is over 5,200 feet,
you might huff and puff a bit on your walk. Just take your time and
enjoy the amazing beauty and quiet of the Cochiti Tent Rocks.