Saturday, February 21, 2015
The following information is from "New Mexico Museums & Historic Sites: Winter Guide 2014".
"The Native American Artisans Program operates every day, but participants spend most major holidays with their families. "
Today,
it was a cloudy 10 degrees and the artists were wearing their winter clothes, some were wrapped in blankets. I spoke with two artists about why they had to be outside selling. From two artists, I learned that when the Palace of the Governors was renovated, the artists were promised heating vents. One artist stated he didn't like the conditions and he pointed to the Palace of the Governors' building behind him and stated "this was built by Pueblo slaves".
Our preference is to buy directly from the artist. Perhaps due to the cold, some of the artists had their art covered and were absent from their area. Today, we bought three pieces of jewellery from three different galleries. One did not know the artist's name of a ring Jonathan purchased. The second store knew the artist's name of the jewellery I purchased, but she did not know the artist and her husband have been jewellers for forty years (I learned that on-line). The third salesperson knew the artist's name but told me he was from a pueblo west of Albuquerque. I since learned the artist is Navajo, not Pueblo.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
We visited the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. http://www.indianpueblo.org
http://www.nmarts.org/art-in-public-places.html
We watched a performance of the Red Turtle Dancers from the Pueblo Pojoaque, 15 miles north of Santa Fe. My notes are from David Trujillo, the drummer and singer of the group.
We dance to maintain our traditions and exchange our culture. At the museum, our dances are performances but in our villages, our dances are prayers and thanks for health. On feast days, the public is invited to watch our dances. Pueblo Pojoaque's patron saint is Lady of Guadalupe. Her feast day is December 12.
Winter Buffalo Dance honours the buffalo. It was danced before the men travelled east to Texas and to northern New Mexico to the grasslands on the other side of the mountain. The men dance with wooden lightening sticks carved with thunderclouds to represent the sound of buffalo moving. They dance with their bows and arrows for good luck with the hunt, and to show honour and respect because the bows and arrow protect their families. The women wear sun faces and bird feathers.
Rain Dance:
All indigenous cultures have a rain dance because water is vital. Dancers ask clouds to come from the west to their village. The men dance with rain sticks and the men and women dance with gourd rattles. The dancers wear a belt or rain sash to represent rainfall. Jewellery is made with seashells to connect with the ocean. The women wear, on their backs, a rain cloud in the shape of feathers.
Zuni Buffalo Dance (no photo): The dance is from the Zuni Pueblo, close to Arizona. The Pueblo people help neighbouring villages and exchange their culture: "Can we bring your dance to our village?" There is a long history of trade between the pueblos. Pueblos along the Rio Grande traded flint (used for arrowheads), salt and pottery for macaw feathers from South America and shells from the Gulf of Mexico & the Pacific Ocean.
The cultural center describes each of the nineteen pueblos in New Mexico and displays artifacts from each tribe. Our photos, below, highlight six of the nineteen pueblos: Jemez, San Ildefonso,
Tesuque, Laguna, Acoma and Zuni http://www.indianpueblo.org/19pueblos/index.html
sculpture at entrance of Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Acoma Pueblo
Jonathan is wearing a Zuni ring he purchased from a gallery in Santa Fe. Unfortunately, the salesperson did not know the name of the artist. There are initials inside: R.Q. The search continues!
