April 2017

April:June 2017 Volume 14, Issue 2

Trading Post Times

River Trading Post

OUR LOVE FOR THE OLD, THE UNUSUAL

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: We always have had a passion The piece is very rare, and we
for the beautiful work created just couldn’t pass it up.
River Trading Post 2 long ago. Both work that in its
Artists Win Big 3 day was not considered an art At the bottom right is a combi-
Favorite Places: The 3 form, but strictly utilitarian, nation of things. The first is a
Range Cafe 4 and the later pieces which were flat-topped powder horn da-
Honest People and a heavily adorned. ting back to 1780—1830, that
Head-Slapper was likely traded to an Ameri-
An Apache Feast at While we review hundreds of can Indian for other goods.
River Trading Post pieces each year, we select just The second is Athabaskan strap
a very few that especially strike for the powder horn that was
us because they are very unusu- added somewhere between
al—and most importantly, af- 1870 and 1890. The strap is
fordable—to most of today’s beautifully beaded on old red
collectors. trade cloth and the combination
is stunning.
Two of our most recent addi-
tions are shown here, just to These historic pieces would
give you an idea. certainly take prizes at today’s
top Indian markets.
At the top right is a Plateau
baby yoke that dates back to You can see more about them
1900. This piece is made of in our Scottsdale gallery or on
white, red, blue, and green glass our website.
trade beads sewn onto hide.

O N - LI NE A U CTIO N B U YE RS B EWA RE

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: Many folks turn to various on- imported jewelry. They are you see what you believe to be
line auctions when searching falsely representing it as Ameri- a great bargain, verify that the
· Gathering of Nations Powwow for American Indian jewelry. can Indian made. piece that strikes you is actually
April 27—29, Albuquerque, NM what it purports to be.
Recently, we have received If you scour on-line auctions for
· IACA Artist of the Year Celebra- more and more concerns from your treasure, be certain that Best advice: Buy from a reputable
tion, April 7, Isleta Resort and both consumers and legitimate you actually receive what you dealer.
Casino, Isleta Pueblo NM American Indian jewelry deal- believe you are buying.
ers that many of these on-line For more information see:
· Eitlejorg Indian Market auction sites and their associat- Many of the fakes look like the www.doi.gov/iacb
June 23—25, Indianapolis, IN ed “stores” are featuring cheap real deal, but they are not. If

Page 2 Trading Post Times

RIVER TRADING POST ARTISTS WIN BIG AT
2017 HEARD INDIAN MARKET

River Trading Post has become known for featuring the work of today’s leading American Indian Artists. Year after year, these artists
garner top recognition at prestigious American Indian art venues. This year was no exception. Here is a recap of River Trading Post
winners at the 2017 Heard Indian Market.

Sculptor Cliff Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) took first and second place for his stone
sculptures. Ancestral Portal (right) won first place in the Stone Sculpture divi-
sion. This magnificent piece consists of multiple stones that is crowned by a
representation of the t-shaped doorways found in historic ruins.

She Carries the Tradition (left) garnered the second place award for Cliff Fra-
gua, who is working at the top of his game.

Cliff studied under Alan Hauser (Apache) at IAIA, at the San Francisco Art
Institute, and in Pietrasanta, Italy. He is the only American Indian to have a
sculpture in the US Capital Building. It currently resides in Emancipation
Hall: an appropriate place for Po’pay, the leader of the Pueblo Indian Revolt.

Carol Lujan, PhD (Navajo) In addition to being professor emerita at
Arizona State University, Carol Lujan’s is an accomplished glass artist. Carol
garnered a second place award at the Heard Museum Indian Market.

Dr. Lujan received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of New Mexi-
co. She is a founding member of the American Indian Studies Program at
ASU. Carol has been selected as the featured artist for the 2017 Pueblo
Grande Art Show in December, 2017.

Dawn Dark Mountain (Oneida) Dawn’s medium of expression is water-
color. Her First Place award at the Heard Museum recognizes the excel-
lence of Dawn’s work, The Water...As Long as the River Flows. (left)

This was one of three pieces that was actually a part of a series including
The Water: Black Snake, that was not included in the judging. (right).

Dawn graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree, and has taught art to both elementary and pre-school children.
She is on the Board of Directors of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association.

Debbie Lujan (Taos Pueblo) Debbie Lujan is a photographer that takes you into places at Taos Pueblo
where outsiders can never tread. Debbie took second place honors in the photography category at the
2017 Heard Museum Indian Market.
Debbie’s interest in photography began as a teenager when her father gave her a Minolta camera. She
is also a talented violinist, playing in two regional symphony orchestras.

Our congratulations to each of these fine American Indian artists. You can enjoy their work when you visit with River Trading Post
in either our Chicagoland or Scottsdale galleries or on our River Trading Post website.

Volume 14, Issue 2 Page 3

F AVO RIT E P LACES : T HE R ANGE C AFE

Our favorite places are usually that it was time to eat, and we and we were seated. The Range Café is a 1950’s throwback
ancient ruins or the breathtak- love to look at cool pottery, so
ing topography we discover we decided to stop. Surrounded by fun art and Home on the Range.
while poking around the back painted furniture, we ordered Cowboys chow down.
roads of the southwest. On entering the place we dis- something called the Range
covered that “Range” didn’t Roundup. (A huge house-made
Many years ago, long before actually mean range where “the buttermilk biscuit, crumbled bacon,
GPS, our drive took us through deer and the antelope roam,” sausage, two fresh eggs, red or green
a quirky place called Bernalillo, but rather a collection of vin- chile, white cheddar, pinto beans,
New Mexico, which is close to tage kitchen stoves which were and Range Fries con queso.) Deli-
the Coronado ruins. everywhere in the place. cious!

Bernalillo is a back road town Getting hungrier due to the The Range Café is a place that
that has a main street—which is aromas floating from the café, satisfies your appetite, where
about a mile long—and that is we checked out a menu that you can talk to the locals, and
about all it has. was longer than your shirt discover some amazing and
sleeve, and decided to eat. But wonderful old pottery.
We saw a funky building along wait! Not so fast! The place
that street that was shared by was jammed with hungry peo- We’ve been back many, many
Rose’s Pottery and The Range ple waiting for a table. Unbe- times, and still think of it as one
Café. Our bellies were signaling lievable. Finally a spot opened of our favorite places.

HONEST PEOPLE...AND A HEAD-SLAPPER!

We recently received a note embarrassed because she had And then...a fellow visited with
from a lady after she visited not paid for it. us, and spent about an hour
several American Indian Art looking at our collections of
galleries in Scottsdale. She wrote to us wanting to re- weavings, pottery, beadwork
turn the magazine to whichever and the rest.
During her visit she inadvert- gallery she inadvertently picked
ently picked up an historic copy it up. As usual, we invited him to ask
of Arizona Highways along questions about anything that
with several brochures about While she did not pick up the he saw.
the area. magazine from River Trading
Post, it was great to hear from Finally he said, “I do have a
Upon reaching home she dis- such an honest person. question. Do you sell micro-
covered that the magazine was phones?”
actually for sale, priced at We hope the right gallery got
$15.00. She was horrified and their magazine back. Oh, boy!

BRINGING YOU THE FINEST AMERICAN
INDIAN ART FOR 17 YEARS.
RIVER TRADING POST

Going on 17 years now, River Trading Post
River Trading Post has become
renowned for its diverse collection 314 N. River Street
of American Indian art, and as the Dundee, Illinois 60118
friendliest place around for explor-
ing and buying American Indian 847-426-6901

art. 7033 E. Main Street, 102
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Browse our galleries, visit our web-
site, and we believe you will find a 480-444-0001

treasure with your name on it. www.rivertradingpost.com

Scottsdale Dundee

314 N. River Street
East Dundee, IL 60118
Phone: 866-426-6901
www.rivertradingpost.com

Arts of Native America

AN APACHE FEAST AT RIVER TRADING POST

Visitors were treated to: White Mountain Apache chef, elders to bring information back Thank you Chef Cassadore. It
Twila Cassadore, and about a into the community to address was a wonderful—and tasty—
· Blue corn, black walnut dozen White Mountain Apache health and social problems. She experience.
crisp w/ piñon butter dip culinary students, recently treat- describes the importance of
ed River Trading Post visitors foods like acorns and grass seeds
· Acorn Dumplings with to a unique dining experience to the diet of the Apaches before
elk roast during a benefit for the Scotts- they were moved onto reserva-
dale Gallery Association. tions and became reliant on
· Agave glazed grilled quail rations, and later, commodities.
with sumac sauce on wild The unforgettable event was
spinach, served with qui- called Edible Desert which fea- She says “it took a community to
noa and harvested wild tured taste tempting treats —all do this. Not individual, not going to
onions. foraged from the desert or the grocery store and buying a bag of
grown in White Mountain flour. You had to wait for the season
Apache gardens. It was served for mother earth to offer to you.”
traditionally, using corn husks
rather than plates.

Chef Cassadore has been work-
ing with San Carlos Apache,
White Mountain Apache, and
Yavapi peoples for 25 years,
conducting interviews with