Are we losing a time honored tradition?
My friend and a very talented artist, I will not name him for his privacy sake, explained that, regretfully, due to the economy and lack of tourism and enough demand for his jewelry, he has had to go to work and this is one reason we are experiencing longer times to make his beautiful jewelry and kachinas. He is a proud man, and I sensed reluctant to tell me this, I guess he feared I would not want to continue to represent him if he couldn’t not complete his pieces as quickly as before. Maybe he felt he failed, I am not sure, certainly there was sadness of the loss of a way of life.
Since I have known him, for over a decade, he has made his jewelry and carved kachinas that have been displayed in museums around the world. He even lectured overseas in some of these exclusive museums. In addition to his crafts, he raised cattle had his own store on the Reservation where he sold his and others lovely jewelry, pottery and kachinas. Over the past few years tourism has declined so much that he had very few visitors to his once thriving store and personal web site. In order to survive this economy and take care of himself and his family he, like many other talented artists Hopi and Navajo, was forced to seek employment elsewhere because he is no longer able to support his family with the trades and crafts he was taught as a child. The same talent and business that supported his father and his father before him. You do not know how much this grieves me, to see very, very talented artists have to forsake their chosen crafts, profession and heritage to go to work in some garage, casino or Wal-Mart because of the lack of demand for their talents and crafts because of a failing economy and tourist trade. Not to mention imported knock offs that appear to be made by Native American artists, but are not and are made for pennies because they are machine made or made by cheap labor in some third world country, imported and sold to you by unscrupulous dealers as the real thing. Some sites mislead you into thinking they are Native American made, but when you really read the fine print you learn otherwise and other unsuspecting individuals just don’t have a clue what they are selling on Ebay isn’t real, but that is a topic for another day.
Those that are being forced to give up making their living from their crafts are not just so-so mediocre artists either, I am talking about some of the very best Native American silversmiths and kachina carvers that live today. It is sickening! I know everyone is affected by this economy, it has hit us here at Southwest Affinity as well, as I know you and all my customers have not escaped it’s affects either.
What I fear is the loss of a time honored tradition and skill. Not only has this industry been affected by a poor economy, but fewer Native American young are learning to carve kachinas and make silver or gold jewelry, as their father’s and grandfather’s did in the past, because the casinos offer them employment opportunities now and from my understanding, many of the youth just aren’t interested and wish to do something else. Guess that is kind of like my family all being guitar, fiddle and banjo musicians down through generations, until my generation and me and my brother dropped the ball there. Something I didn’t realize was lost and important until I realized my children had no clue what it was like to sit around and listen to their parent’s sing and play music rather than watch television. There has been a steady decline in Native American artisans just since I have been selling their crafts for the past fourteen years and I am beginning to wonder if my grandchildren will be able to purchase a lovely handcrafted, one of a kind piece of Native American jewelry, pottery or kachina or will it be a thing of the past that belongs in museums or so high priced the average person can’t afford it?
I am grieved to see the steady decline in one more thing in the Native American culture. Sure you can still buy lovely pieces, I can attest to that, I am still able to do so because of people like you and there are a few that are still hanging in there or working part-time to offer their lovely pieces, but not like it was just a few short years ago. I can no longer sell quality items for under $30 that almost everyone could afford just three years ago. I just keep watching the prices go up more every week. I use to have access to hundreds of artisans and now few are able to devote 100% of their time to their crafts. None of us keep the inventory we use to, because silver prices are so high. I have slowly watched many great artists quit, not to make jewelry any more, or they don’t have time to work and continue to make their jewelry. Some just can’t afford the gas and silver so they don’t even try or just work every now and then when they are able to afford to drive 50 plus miles to town to get supplies with gas prices what they are.
To watch my dear friend, a well respected business man and artist, have to change his way of life of freedom, self-employment, artistry and living out a tradition like his father before him, to now having to punch a time clock and doing manual labor that wears him out so that he doesn’t have much time for his craft, just makes me sick! An artist that produces museum quality products! I feel I have just witnessed the last stand of the Native American’s again.
I write all this to let you know how valuable a purchase of a Native American piece of art is, not only to you, but in helping to support a struggling way of life and people. I truly believe your pieces will be a rarity in your children’s or grandchildren’s life times, and it this keeps up, maybe in your own. In my humble opinion, these pieces most definitely will increase in value. I just think it is important that you know and understand something about the culture and plight of the people making your jewelry and crafts. My friend has been one of my last holdouts, fighting to continue his time-honored tradition and maintain his place in promoting today’s Native American culture and trade. Not only did he help to promote the crafts of his people with his store, he promoted their culture and helped other’s in his community sell their crafts. Many in his community depended on the tourist trade and selling their crafts in his store, many have been and will be affected by this. I truly mourn this loss and pray that this is just a temporary situation and all can soon return to normal for him and his family and friends.
I thank you for being a part of trying to help this time honored tradition survive through your support and purchase of their crafts and interest in their culture! If you want to learn how to do more to help these people, please contact me and I will be happy to forward you information.
Add comment September 15th, 2010
It is a rare stone and I was quite upset with myself, so I know where you are coming from. This is one reason I try to stress that people use the Haggerty silversmith Wash , I know it doesn’t discolor the stones if used properly. It is a very common mistake. I know before I got into the jewelry business I use to think, well it’s a rock, what could it do to it. Well, I discovered rocks can be very porous and absorb everything. Funny thing is everyone wants natural turquoise in there Indian made jewelry, but treated turquoise won’t discolor, that is why we use them in our beaded jewelry. What you don’t want is enhanced which means they have been dyed, but treated to close the pores isn’t a bad thing, but it is too hard to try and explain the difference and people just don’t understand, so we sell natural turquoise, that will darken with age or when coming in contact with oils, even body oil. 