- Details
- By Tamara Ikenberg
This weekend and next week in Indian Country, you can virtually gift shop till you drop down further into your couch, have a very Cherokee Christmas, and get an eyeful of dazzling Native dancers summoning mountain spirits.
Make plans for your perfect holiday with the help of Native News Online’s event roundup.
Third Annual Indigenous Women’s Art Market
WHEN: Friday, Nov 27, 6 a.m. - Sunday, Nov 29, 9 p.m. PST
WHERE: https://hopin.com/events/indigenous-art-market
Fluffy and festive, Wolf and Crow Studio’s beaded red rabbit fur beauties are a burst of holiday cheer right in your ear.
The eye-catching earrings from the Ottawa-based brand run by Amber Chief (Algonquin, Tahltan Nation) and Kyle Simon (Odawa), will be available for purchase at this weekend’s virtual Indigenous Women’s Art Market, featuring work from more than 40 Métis, Inuit and First Nations makers.
Items for sale include jewelry, beadwork, paintings, sculptures, mittens, moccasins, coffee and candles.
Shoppers and browsers can interact with the artists in their virtual booths and purchase directly from the artists’ e-commerce sites, which will be listed on the main event page.
The Cherokee National History Museum will celebrate the First Cherokee Christmas with an exhibition running through Jan. 2, 2021. (Cherokee Nation)
Exhibit: The First Cherokee Christmas at Cherokee National History Museum
WHEN: Now through Jan. 2, 2021
WHERE: Cherokee National History Museum 101 S. Muskogee Ave., Tahlequah, Okla.; (877) 779-6977 or visit www.VisitCherokeeNation.com.
Go back in time to the first Cherokee Christmas at the Cherokee National History Museum.
In 1805, Cherokee Nation member James Vann welcomed Moravian missionaries to his Georgia home, decorated with beeswax candles and more natural materials, for a tradition-mixing holiday.
The first Cherokee Nation Christmas tree was hung with Moravian paper stars and and scriptures written on scrolls.
The exhibit explores the beginnings of Cherokee Christmas traditions and the rapid rate at which they grew in popularity. Just a few years after the first Cherokee Christmas, the Vann home was filled every holiday season with hundreds of guests singing, praying and reading the Bible in both English and Cherokee.
The museum will also host an interview with the interpreter at the historic Vann home in Georgia.
Beginning on Dec. 14, children who visit the Cherokee National History Museum, Saline Courthouse Museum or Sequoyah’s Cabin Museum will receive a free, take-home craft kit to make their own gourd ornament.
This piece by Jicarilla Apache and Navajo artist Ishkoten Dougi will be featured in the virtual "No Thanks Given" art show on Friday, Nov. 27, on the Facebook page of Albuquerque's Rebel Prints. (Ishkoten Dougi)
Virtual Art Show Opening: No Thanks Given
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 27, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. PST
WHERE: Rebel Prints Facebook Live, Rebel Prints, 208 3rd St SW, Albuquerque, N.M.
With his new Albuquerque gallery, Rebel Prints, Laguna Pueblo artist and screenprinter Karl “King Karl” Bautista is championing under-the-radar artists.
“There are a lot of underrated artists out there, and it’s tough to break through,” Bautista said. “During COVID it has been hard because most of us have regular jobs and many have lost employment or had art shows cancelled. No Pueblo Feast Days! No Pow Wows! Online is the new way to showcase art work safely. “
In the spirit of safe art, Bautista is holding the “No Thanks Given” show, spotlighting Indigenous New Mexico artists, both online and in-person for limited-attendance viewings.
The lineup is a feast of edgy and experimental artists including Ishkoten Dougi, (Jicarilla Apache/Navajo), Watermelon7 (Isleta Pueblo, Diné, Saponi) Jacquelyn Yepa (Navajo, Jemez Pueblo), Christopher Garcia (Santo Domingo, Diné), and Margarita Paz-Pedro, (Laguna Pueblo.)
“We all need help right now. This space I have started to build will help us all out a little bit,” Bautista said. “One hundred percent of sales will go directly to the artists. Native America has been hit hard and most could use the help.”
"The Eel," a functional art knife made by Chickasaw artist Daniel Worcester, will be available at the Santa Fe Winter Market, running Nov. 27 - Dec. 11 at swaia.org. (Daniel Worcester)
A colorful cuff by San Felipe Pueblo silversmith and artist Tim Yazzie. Yazzie is participating in the Virtual Winter Indian Market, running Nov. 27 - Dec. 11 at swaia.org. (Tim Yazzie)
Virtual Winter Indian Market
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 27 - Dec. 11
WHERE: www.swaia.org
Looking for some cutting-edge holiday gifts?
Then the sharp, functional art knives of Chickasaw carver Daniel Worcester may fit the bill. With handles made from found objects, and shapes from standard to serpentine, they are as authentic and original as it gets.
Worcseter is one of more than 130 artists participating in the first virtual version of Santa Fe’s Winter Indian Market. For two weeks, art lovers can shop at their leisure directly from the artists’ e-commerce sites, and also enjoy additional cultural programming like Native-themed films and storytelling presentations from artists.
This year’s roster of renown artists also includes San Felipe Pueblo silversmith Tim Yazzie, psychedelic ledger artist Delores Purdy (Caddo Nation, Winnebago), and Ohkay-Owingeh and Taos Pueblo fashion and accessory designer Sage Mountainflower.
CrownDancers: Watch the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers on Facebook Live or at the Museum of Northern Arizona on Saturday, November 28. (Museum of Northern Arizona)
White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 28, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. PST
WHERE: Live on Museum of North Carolina’s Facebook page or in person at Museum of Northern Arizona, 3101 N. Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff Ariz.
Tickets are $50 at http://musnaz.org.
While you digest your holiday feast, sit back and let Arizona’s White Mountain Apache Crown dancers take you to new spiritual peaks.
The Museum of North Carolina is hosting the dancers, who, According to Apache belief, come equipped with healing energy imparted by the mountains.The dancers summon the spirits to protect them from enemies and epidemic diseases.
This will be the first Flagstaff performance for the group, which has entertained all over the country at events including the group’s first time performing in Flagstaff have performed at events including at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the 2002/2003 Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque, N.M., the Santa Fe Indian Market.
More Stories Like This
NFL and Nike Partner with Native American Athletic Foundation to Host All-Star Game at Cowboys' Ford CenterMitchell Museum of the American Indian Changes Name to Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum
Q&A: Sicangu Lakota Filmmaker Yvonne Russo on Her New Hulu Series, 'Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae'
Third Annual Tribal Museums Day Centers Diverse Histories, Cultures & Lifeways
Tommy Orange's "Wandering Stars" Makes TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 List
Support Independent Indigenous Journalism That Holds Power to Account
With the election now decided, Native News Online is recommitting to our core mission: rigorous oversight of federal Indian policy and its impact on tribal communities.
The previous Trump administration’s record on Indian Country — from the reduction of sacred sites to aggressive energy development on tribal lands — demands heightened vigilance as we enter this new term. Our Indigenous-centered newsroom will provide unflinching coverage of policies affecting tribal sovereignty, sacred site protection, MMIR issues, water rights, Indian health, and economic sovereignty.
This critical watchdog journalism requires resources. Your support, in any amount, helps maintain our independent, Native-serving news coverage. Every contribution helps keep our news free for all of our relatives. Please donate today to ensure Native News Online can thrive and deliver impactful, independent journalism.
