Read Now - River Trading Post

April:June 2015
Volume 12, Issue 2
Trading Post Times
R i v e r
T r a d i n g
P o s t
T H E T R A I L OF A N CIEN T D I GNI TY ,
A G R AN D B UF FA LO
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
River Trading Post Artist
Cleans House at Heard
Market
2
A Dazzling War Shirt
2
from a Forgotten Pueblo
Favorite Places: Scottsdale’s Museum of the
West
3
Acoma Pottery: Beauty
and History Intersect
4
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
• Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow
April 23 - 25, Albuquerque, NM.
• IACA Artist of the Year Celebration.
April 21, Isleta Pueblo, NM.
• Eitlejorg Indian Market
June 27 - 28
Indianapolis, IN.
One year ago, Oneida sculptor
Mark Fischer earned honors at
the Heard Museum Indian
Market for his dazzling
maquette entitled
Ancient Dignity.
This was the beginning of the
trail for Ancient Dignity. One
year later, Fischer completed a
life size Ancient Dignity. This
amazing copper sculpture
stands five feet seven inches tall
and is over seven feet long.
Fischer used nearly a mile of
copper wire secured with
39,000 weld points to bring
Ancient Dignity to life.
Ancient Dignity made its first
public appearance at River
Trading Post following an 1867
mile trek from Fisher’s studio
in Richfield, Wisconsin for our
annual Arts of Native America
show.
Then, Ancient Dignity traveled
to the Heard Museum Indian
Market where it was visited by
thousands, including groups of
Tewa Buffalo Dancers (see
right).
Though the most spectacular
piece at the market, Ancient
Dignity received no awards this
year because he just was too
large to qualify for competition.
Mark Fischer’s
Ancient Dignity takes
2014 honors at the
Heard Museum
(right).
Ancient Dignity
emerges at
River Trading Post,
Scottsdale (far right).
Page 2
Trading Post Times
RIVER TRADING POST ARTIST CLEANS HOUSE AT
2015 HEARD MUSEUM INDIAN MARKET
Hopi Kachina Doll carver, Raynard Lalo left the 2015 Heard Museum Indian Market and headed back to the
Hopi mesas with first and second place ribbons and a bit of cash in his pocket for his exceptional kachina doll
carvings.
Raynard is a featured artist at River Trading Post, and on occasion may be found carving his work in our Scottsdale gallery. Your can see his dolls in our Dundee and Scottsdale galleries, as well as on the River Trading Post
website.
Raynard, of the Spider Clan, has been carving since 1998 when he was just 15 years-old. He carves the traditional
old style dolls, using only cottonwood root for the figure, and crushes natural earth pigments for paint.
A favorite of Raynard’s is to carve female and male pairs. Though strictly traditional, they also can be whimsical,
such as his frog pair shown at the right.
Raynard Lalo carves at
River Trading Post,
Scottsdale
While known best for his carving, Raynard also has the booming voice of a traditional singer. He and his fellow
Hopi drummers are frequently featured at River Trading Post, Scottsdale.
You can learn more about Raynard and many other River Trading Post artists at our library on the River Trading
Post website.
A Dazzling War Shirt From a Forgotten Pueblo
The Yesleta del Sur Pueblo is one that few people know about. Yet
it is a federally recognized tribe and a sovereign nation known as
Tigua. It was established in 1682, and today consists of about 1,600
citizens. It is located just north of the Rio Grand river near El Paso,
Texas.
Today, tribal member Rudy Silvas toils at recreating the tribal war
shirts of a time long past. A time as forgotten as the Tigua people
themselves.
One of Silvas’ war shirts is on display at River Trading Post, Dundee
and on the River Trading Post website.
The shirt is ablaze with action and color. As you look at the piece, it
literally appears to be in motion.
Built from cowhide, the shirt is embellished with finely beaded red trade cloth, brass medallions, horse hair and bone hair pipe. To top it
off, 100 brass bullet casings provide jingle sounds for a pow-wow dancer.
The shirt was created for a big guy, measuring 20.5” shoulder to shoulder ,with 25” long sleeves and is 39” from top to bottom.
This war shirt from the forgotten Tigua people is a museum, or collector’s, classic. It is full of color and action that can’t be captured in
a picture.
Volume 12, Issue 2
Page 3
FAVORITE PLACES: WESTERN SPIRIT: SCOTTSDALE’S MUSEUM OF THE WEST
Just steps away from River Trading Post,
Scottsdale’s new Western Spirit: Museum of
the West shines like a desert star in its new
copper clad, 43,000-square-foot, building.
The museum celebrates the art, history,
culture and unique stories of the 19 states
comprising the American West.
Taking a stroll around the outside of the impressive structure is a treat in itself amid gardens of cactus and other native plants that
thrive in the Arizona sun, as well as exceptional works of bronze sculpture.
Inside, visitors can enjoy the works of some of
the most notable Western artists like Georgia
O’Keefe, Fritz Scholder and Charles M. Russell. The work of renowned American Indian
sculptors Allan Houser and Doug Hyde are
also on display.
The museum also has a beautiful theater/auditorium where visitors can listen to a
variety of stories and presentations about the
old west.
Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is our new
neighbor, and we welcome it to the neighborhood.
Cactus gardens and bronze sculptures adorn the exterior
of Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. It is a great place
for a stroll or some relaxation and reflection.
B RINGING Y OU THE F INEST A MERICAN
INDIAN A RT F OR N EARLY 1 5 Y EARS.
R IVER TRADING P OST
Going on 15 years,
River Trading Post has become
renowned for its diverse collection
of American Indian art, and as the
friendliest place around for exploring and buying American Indian
art.
Scottsdale
Browse our galleries, visit our website, and we believe you will find a
treasure with your name on it.
River 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
Dundee
314 N. River Street
East Dundee, IL 60118
Phone: 866-426-6901
www.rivertradingpost.com
Arts of Native America
A N T I QUE A C OM A P O T T E RY : W H E R E B E AUT Y
H I ST ORY I NT E R S E C T
Fifty miles west of Albuquerque
is the historic Acoma pueblo
where pottery making dates
back more than 1,000 years.
This Acoma polychrome storage pot dates
back to 1890, and is a classic example of
the old work.
Pottery was functional, and was
used for storage, cooking and
eating. Water jugs were used
by Acoma men for long hunting trips.
The local dense clay made for
the perfect medium for pottery.
Even with the ladle wear around the rim,
the beauty of this classic Acoma pot still
shines through.
cross-hatched patterns that symbolized rain. Lightning, thunder clouds, mountains, the influences of the cycle of life, and
water and sky were frequent
themes.
The designs were applied with
the spike of a yucca made into a
brush by chewing.
Potters dried the clay and
strengthened it by adding of
pulverized pottery shards and
sand. They hand-coiled, painted and fired the piece using
dung for fuel.
Upon completion, the potter
would lightly strike the side of
the pot, holding it to their ear.
If the pot did not ring, the piece
was known to have cracked in
the firing process and would be
destroyed and ground into
shards for future use.
Geometric patterns, thunderbirds and rainbows were the
traditional designs, as were
Today, old Acoma pottery is
not only revered for its unique
artistic characteristics, but be-
AN D
cause of its immensely rich
historic value.
River Trading Post features a
select grouping of the rare old
Acoma work, as well as classic
old work from Zuni, Zia and
Laguna pueblos.
The old pieces also are featured
on the Pottery section of River
Trading Post website under
Museum Classics.