Contrasts: Up/Down; Inward/Outward

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

At long last, today's post is up at The NDN Silver Blog.  It's Day 2 of our study in contrasts, and it features a brand-new theme in Wings's work. Tomorrow's post will extend today's exploration further and deeper.

Come and take a look. Shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, are welcomed with our gratitude.

Contrasts: Dark/Light

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today, it's Day 1 of a three-day study in contrasts at The NDN Silver Blog. The next two days' topics will be more obviously related to each other, but this one fits, too.

It's just a short post, a straightforward feature of a piece that I covet beyond description, but it's meant to find a home elsewhere.

Baling commences on Tuesday, and so it will be another very large expense in the service of our equine moochers overlords. sales would be very useful right now, so if you're inclined to share both the post itself and Wings's main page, we'd be grateful.

Eagle Feathers In Alabaster

Photo copyright Aji, 2014;
all rights reserved.

Late again today — too much going on lately, and I'm still moving much too slowly — but today's Friday Feature is finally up at The NDN Silver Blog.

It's an introduction to an up and coming young carver, a distant relative. His late uncle and Wings were very close, and the nephew is carrying on in his uncle's footsteps as an artist. Two beautiful pieces, both priced very modestly.

Come and take a look, and if you're inclined, please share via the social media buttons at the bottom of the post, and also at the bottom of Wings's main page. We could use the exposure, and a few sales: The horses insist on being fed, the ingrates, and so we're dropping the hay tomorrow and baling on Tuesday. I swear, the money goes in one end of each animal and right out the other . . . .

Thanks, y'all.

#TBT: Petit-Point

Today's #TBT post at The NDN Silver Blog is finally up. Today, it's a look at an old traditional art form from Zuni's silversmiths: petit-point. Definitely not the needlework variety, but at least as meticulous.

Shares of the post itself and of Wings's main page are welcomed with our thanks.

More chores await; back in a couple of hours, if I'm lucky . . . .

One hit too many, for now . . . .

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

I know I owe e-mails to a lot of you, and I know a lot of you keep asking how I am.

The short answer is that I am okay, but there are caveats.

Two weeks ago today, I sustained a concussion. Quite a severe one. It was a freak accident with one of the horses: I wasn't thrown, she wasn't spooked, and I was handling everything safely, as I usually do. Yet somehow, she managed to cross a space of 18 inches in a split second, at top speed and at just the wrong angle, to slam the bony protrusion above her eye full force into the upper edge of my forehead. 

It was hard enough to knock me literally (yes, in the literal sense of that word, too) off my feet. The kind of initial shock, and then immediate pain, that also literally takes your breath away. And no, I'm so not in the mood for lectures about all the things I should or shouldn't be doing. I did everything right in the ensuing days, and Wings has been watching over me like the proverbial hawk (and yes, he's taking very good care of me).

But I'm not fifteen anymore [stop laughing], and I don't bounce back from hits like this as easily, either. It's affecting me physically, affecting my ability to think, to concentrate, to get things done. It's affecting my moods.

And so while you'll see me continuing my daily posts over at The NDN Silver Blog (and let me tell you, has that ever been . . . um . . . interesting to try to maintain since the hit), and you may even see me elsewhere occasionally, don't necessarily expect to see me unless and until you see me, and if I don't get back to you right away, this is why. Another week, and maybe I'll be back to full function again.

[And please, no sympathy comments, because then I will feel compelled to respond, and I don't have the energy, and that will stress me further.  This is purely an FYI kind of post for our peeps. Thanks.] 

Waters of Memory

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, I wade into the waters of memory. No worries; it's only ankle-deep. Yes, there's a certain melancholy to it, but that fits today's mood.

It's a straight-up feature today, of another beautiful piece that holds hidden depths. Look into it; see what you find.

Equine expenses will be looming shortly, so shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, both welcomed with our thanks. 

Turquoise Tuesday: The Turquoise State

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Turquoise Tuesday again at The NDN Silver Blog, and we've left Arizona and headed for Nevada. 

Today's post is an overview, just a quick introduction to Nevada turquoise generally. Next week, we get down to turquoise tacks, beginning our exploration of specific mines and some truly stunning forms of American turquoise of the highest grades. In the coming weeks, you'll also get to see photos of some of Wings's past work — really incredible pieces.

Social-media shares of today's post and Wings's main page are welcomed with our gratitude.

And now, I'm off to try to beat the rain and see how much of my to-do list i can get crossed off.  Flash flood advisories into tomorrow morning, so we could see some real weather later.

Talking Walls

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Monday at The NDN Silver Blog, which means today's feature is one of Wings's photos.

Don't be deceived by initial appearances.

There's a lot going on in the image, and a lot going on in the text. Take a look, listen for a moment, see if you hear anything.

You might.

As always, shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, are welcomed with gratitude.

[And I am still recovering slowly, and in the face of a to-do list that grows exponentially by the day, so expect to see me only when you see me.]

Women Warriors/Warrior Women

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's (as promised yesterday) more on hearts, but from a very specific perspective: Wings's own very personal, very heartfelt tribute to women.

Its genesis is recounted in the post there, so I won't repeat it here. What I will do is expand upon what's written there. If you read that first, then return here, the link to what I'm about to say will become apparent.

There's a disconnect between how the dominant culture defines — more, presumes to dictate the only definitions — of social justice philosophies and mechanisms like feminism. If it doesn't fit neatly within the dominant culture's worldview and experience, any perceived transgression from that culture's dictates on the matter are labeled accordingly. it's a phenomenon all too familiar to communities of color, one that suppresses our voices and renders us invisible. In 1979, author Alice Walker showed us one way of dealing with the experience of being whitewashed out of the feminist frame by coining the term "womanism." (And she originally defined it, although that definition has been extended and expanded greatly since — and the wiki, predictably, needs some help.)

But indigenous cultures have long dealt with these same issues in a variety of contexts, some of which the dominant culture has had the great good luck and, yes, privilege never to have to experience. And many of them have frankly dealt with them in ways that have been far more successful, and for far longer, than those on the outside. This is not to say that any and all mores and practices of any and all indigenous cultures are either inherently right or inherently immune from the need for self-examination or evolution. It does say that "different" does not equal "wrong."

Coming as I do from three separate ethnic and cultural backgrounds, I'm forced on a daily basis to integrate far more than three separate ways of viewing the world, of locating myself in it, of being true to my own identity as a woman. Outside factors, including the expectations and assumptions that outsiders bring to that identity, mean that on any given day, I may manage that "integration" with more or less success. I've long since let go of the need to conform to anyone else's expectations of what and who I am, but navigating daily life through the morass of colonialist, assimilationist, conversionist influences and attitudes of the broader society as a whole is a greater challenge. No matter who we are, outsiders will presume to "define" us using the markers of their own worldview and attempt to force us into that (to them) comfortable frame: as Indian women, and as Indians generally.

As I said in today's post, Wings addressed this disconnect head-on in the interpretive text that accompanied one grouping of silverwork pieces in his recent one-man show:

It is easy to forget that a wall, a home, a structure, a society endures only through the strength of the cornerstone that serves as its foundation. So it is with our people: The public face is male, but the underlying strength and support, the cornerstones, are the women.

I can hear the objections now: "It's only support!" "It's not the public face!" "Marginalization!"

Is it?

Do the opinions of the women from those cultures count?

These are questions that outsiders need to ask before passing casual white "American" judgment on the values and identities of others and their cultural mores. Because often, you'll get a very different answer from what you likely expect.
It won't be an easy answer. And if you want a short, once-sentence version . . . well, forget about it. These topics are far too complex, too multi-layered for that. Too layered, in fact, in false identities and narratives imposed from without, that must first be stripped away before the unvarnished immanence of cultural identity can be truly revealed.

But this is part of being an ally. It's taking what makes you uncomfortable and looking at it from the viewpoint of the person to whom it actually belongs, as best you can. It's also accepting that there are things you're not entitled to in the process, and that you need to take their word for what they feel and what they are.

It's hard work. But not as hard as the walking in two worlds that we navigate every second of every minute of every our of every day.

And that daily journey is part of what makes us warrior women.

"Hearts"

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a very special featured piece.  

Sorry; no time or energy today for more detail here.

Shares welcomed with our thanks.

Turtles!

Photo copyright Aji, 2014; all rights reserved.

All the way down!

Okay, not really, but they do play a significant role in today's Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog. Today, it's small dual-purpose drums by one of our master drum-makers. These combine the hallmarks of easily-held hand drums with the greater depth and dual-sided qualities of upright drums. They're sized appropriately for youth as well as adults, (and they're much less expensive, too!).

And today, Grandmother Turtle has brought us rain already, so I guess it was the right time to introduce you to her.

Come and take a look.  There's also a little shot of a fantastic rattle, but you'll have to come and read to find out more. Shares of the post itself and of the main page, of course, always welcomed with our thanks.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: Native Flasks

Photo copyright Aji, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Throwback Thursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a look at an old-fashioned staple of daily life: the flask.

Water, tobacco, medicine: They came in all shapes and sizes and materials, and they were carried as a matter of course. They're still used today.

Come and take a look. You'll see a gorgeous close-up shot of the traditional micaceous flask shown above, one made years ago by Wings's sister. You'll also see some stunning photos of Wings's own award-winning work, miniature flasks rendered in sterling silver.

Shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, are welcomed with thanks from both of us.

Musings on Raised Hands

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today's post at The NDN Silver Blog is a bit of a departure. It does include the featured piece that I originally intended to use, the piece that sparked today's musings. But unlike most posts, it includes only the imagery and descriptive passages, no pricing information. When you read it, you'll see why.

It's not a post for selling material things. Instead, it's a meditation on recent tragic events and what a world might look like where the associated imagery is repurposed to entirely different ends.

It's not exactly a pleasant post. There's too much pain explored in it for that. But it does offer a shift in the visual frame, as artists are wont to do — a shift that desperately needs to be made manifest in our world, today.

For the sake of our children. Even unto the seventh generation.

Shares of this one are especially welcomed with our thanks. 

Turquoise Tuesday: Domes and Peaks and Mountains

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Turquoise Tuesday again at The NDN Silver Blog, and today we're wrapping up our exploration of Arizona's turquoise mines and the turquoise they produce with a look at three final mines. 

As always, there's some history in it, too, as well as some photos of some truly beautiful stones, both contemporary and very, very old. No featured items from current inventory today, but some beautiful nuggets and cabochons nonetheless.

Also as always, shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post, and of Wings's main page, are welcomed with our gratitude.

Stories Full of Stories

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

That's today's theme at The NDN Silver Blog, with the wrap-up of our look at the role Pueblo architecture plays in the art of its people.

Today, it's seen through Wings's eyes, and through the lens of his camera — just a brief glimpse, but enough to show its centrality and connectedness, in more ways than one.

Shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post, and of Wings's main page, are welcomed with our thanks.

And now, I'm off to give my head and eyes a break, and get started on my mile-long to-do list for the day.

Ancient Architecture: A Little Jeweled Photographic Tour

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the promised follow-up to yesterday's piece on ancient architecture as artistic inspiration.  Today, it's a little tour of the Pueblo itself via photos and Wings's signature series of Pueblo pins.

Shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself and of Wings's main page are welcomed with gratitude.

I'm not physically up to engaging much today; still recovering. I'll check in as I can.

Architecture in Silver

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's more on the Pueblo's ancient architecture as a source of artistic inspiration. This weekend, we're looking at it through Wings's own eyes, but through the "lens" of his primary medium: sterling silver.

It's very much a feature of his work, but only one of the pieces in today's entry remains available for sale. The rest are gone, some for years now. But it's some beautiful work, and some beautiful imagery.

So come and take a look. Shares of the original post and the main page are welcomed, as always, with our thanks.

A Pueblo In Miniature

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

This week's Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog is the Pueblo's own architecture, a topic we'll be exploring over the next few days. Today, it's that architecture in miniature, sculpted from the local micaceous clay.

Today's featured item is shown above, but there's much more than that in the post — including photos of some earlier pieces by a truly incredible woman.

Social-media shares from the buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, welcomed with our thanks, as always.

#TBT: Real Coral, Real Heishi, Real Old-School Beadwork

Photo copyright Aji, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Throwback Thursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today we're talking about beadwork done old-school. The featured piece is phenomenal, but there's a lot more info in there than just the necklace you see here.

Apologies for the tardiness of the post; a horse-related injury yesterday means I'm not good for much today. I'll be fine in a few days. Meanwhile, shares of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, are welcomed with thanks.

Musings on Circles and Sacred Hoops

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a straight-up feature of one of Wings's pieces — and yet, not so straight-up after all. It's a personal reflection of my own, of the piece's meaning to me on this day, as seen through the lens of what this day represents for me.

That's all I'm going to say.

64

Photo copyright Wings, 2010; all rights reserved.

Turquoise Tuesday: This Time, Fit for a Queen

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Turquoise Tuesday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today it's turquoise fit for a queen: The Copper Queen, to be specific. 

It's also a veritable soap opera. Racism. Colonialism. Military action. Labor unrest. Deportations. The pursuit of wealth and power.

And outlasting all of it, the Skystone, in Bisbee form.

Go take a look. Lots of history, some geology, and some incredibly beautiful photos of some spectacular turquoise stones.

Shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, welcomed as always with our thanks.

From Thresholds to Sacred Spaces

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Now up at The NDN Silver Blog: the promised follow-up to my post of two Mondays ago. Last week, I was inexplicably diverted onto another path; I can only think that it was meant to be that way. But today, it's Part II of our exploration of the act of crossing — or choosing not to cross — particular thresholds into certain spaces, and whether those spaces are sacred, and for whom.

The photos themselves are beautiful, although the discussion doesn't even get into the aesthetic elements of today's featured photo. If you're interested in seeing my own aesthetic preferences, I suggest focusing on the contrast between the brilliant white — painted, "washed," onto red clay, I might add — of the threshold arch with the warm, earthy, colorful tones beyond. The thunderheads forming above the ridge line speak to me in a multitude of ways, too, but for now, I'll let folks guess at what they are. Those of you who know me know what some of those are likely to be, and who knows? Maybe that'll be a subject for another day.

For now, shares from the social-media buttons at the bottom of today's post, and at the bottom of Wings's main page, are welcomed with gratitude. I would very much like to see him get the sort of reinforcement of his work that every artist wants: knowing that someone is sufficiently moved by it to want to possess it permanently.

Melding Symbol and Spirit

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

The featured item in today's post at The NDN Silver Blog is a masterpiece, a melding of symbol and spirit in one breathtaking piece of wearable art.

Don't get me wrong; it's also expensive. Very expensive. The amount of labor involved alone is staggering. Add to that the number and value of the stones, the sterling silver, and of course the indefinable qualities Wings adds himself, and you have something costly indeed. And collectible.

This piece genuinely does take my breath away every time I look at it. And I am not a "pink" person; never have been. I prefer brilliant jewel tones, blues and greens and reds, punctuated with black. But this . . . the way it comes together, I can't imagine the colors being anything else.

Come and take a look. There's a lot more in the post than simply the featured piece: more on the use of Dragonfly as a motif in Native art; on its identity as a symbol of love; on the role it plays as a messenger of the spirits. And, of course, this piece.

Shares via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post itself, and of Wings's main page, are of course welcomed with our thanks.

Fragile Yet Powerful Wings. By Wings.

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Technical difficulties have made me very late with today's post at The NDN Silver Blog. But never fear; it's up. No, you won't get out of me asking you to share it that easily.

Today, we're talking about tiny but powerful little spirits who bear the weight of great symbolism. They're also really important to the ecosystem.  And Wings's newest piece, just completed, is near the bottom.  All by hand, as usual, and just gorgeous.

So please take a look, share via the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post, and at the bottom of the main page.  And watch for tomorrow's companion piece, which is a showstopper.

Thanks.

Taking a Public Stand: Wings, as a Native Artist, On #NotYourRedskin

Sometimes you have to do the right thing, whatever the result. For us, the risk is really small: a few lost clients (big financially, but not from safety standpoint); perhaps some trollish comments. 

But Wings has taken a public stand in opposition to Dan Snyder and his so-called "First American Foundation," and their latest attempts to buy Indian cover with bribes made of blood money. He's calling upon his fellow Native artists to join him in this boycott.

His statement is here. Please click on that link, scroll to the bottom of the page, and use the social-media buttons there to share the post with everyone you know. Help me support Wings: Let's send this viral, and get other Native artists and writers on board.

Thanks, everybody.

Pueblo Dogs

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today, by very special request, it's one for the dog lovers at The NDN Silver Blog: a tribute to the Pueblo version of "man's best friend."

Ironically, there's only one featured item in it today, because in our entire inventory, we have only one "dog" item. But it's a great one. And you'll get to see some cool photos of equally cool Pueblo dogs, including some who came ultimately home with us. They also have some pretty compelling stories, and some of those are included, too.

Social-media shares from the post itself and from Wings's main page welcomed with our thanks. And if you know anyone who wants to adopt a dog but needs one that doesn't bark, doesn't shed, and doesn't need to be walked or fed, maybe the little guy shown above is the one.

#TBT: Planting Seeds

Photo copyright Aji, 2014; all rights reserved.

Yes, it's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's foodways and lifeways — specifically, planting. It's written as a straight piece, talking about planting seeds in the most obvious sense, but the metaphors are just beneath the surface layer of the earth, for those who care to look. Those of you who know us will know that they're there, and their significance.

Swamped again today, so I won't be around much, if at all. Shares of the post itself and of Wings's main page are welcomed with gratitude from both of us.

Pictures In Stone

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's an exploration of Nature's own art on the earth's canvas. With, of course, some accents and extensions from two-legged artists.

Shares from the social-media buttons are welcomed with our gratitude, both of the post itself and of Wings's main page.

Thanks.

Of Trade Routes and Turquoise Kings

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

It's Turquoise Tuesday at The NDN Silver Blog!  Today, it's trade routes and kings (and a cameo appearance by an old cinematic heartthrob, believe it or not).

Photos of gorgeous pieces by Wings, too, although all long since sold. He can always make something to order, never fear.

Please take a look. Shares from the social-media buttons at the bottom of the post, and of Wings's main page, are much needed and gratefully appreciated.

Thanks.

Sustenance

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Today at The NDN Silver Blog, it's daily bread: Sustenance, feeding body and spirit alike. There's even a link to a recipe, for those inclined to try their hand at frybread.

It's going to be an extraordinarily busy day today; I will likely not be around much. In the meantime, social media shares from the bottom of the post itself, and from Wings's main page, are very much needed and welcomed with our thanks.

Serpent Tails/Serpent Tales

Photo copyright wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

Very late today; there are some days when you just can't cadge ten minutes at a stretch to do what needs to be done, and this has been one of them.

Today's post at The NDN Silver Blog was inspired by last week's visitor. I don't know whether the's the same visitor we had two summers ago, or perhaps a clansman. Either way, he was big and bold and brightly colored. He was also a threat to the chickens, so Wings carried him away on a pitchfork and set him off in a new direction.

There's a lot in there today: memories of visitations past; stories and references to ways much older yet; musings on what we can learn from such visitors. and, of course, all of ti through the lens of some gorgeous silverwork. Go see what you think. I find all our visitors interesting and educaitonal, from snakes to salamanders to skunks and everything in between.

Shares from the social media buttons at the bottom of the post itself are needed and welcomed with gratitude, as are shares of Wings's main page.

Thanks.

"Sacred Drops"

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

That's the title of today's post at The NDN Silver Blog, and the title of the featured piece, as well.

As the post notes, water has been a recurring theme lately, for rather obvious reasons. Today, it's an opportunity to see through its lens to explore a bit of the sacred.

Take a look, and if you like it, please share: both the post itself and the main page of Wings's site.

Thanks, everybody.

Now, off to treat my migraine with more coffee . . . .

Even in the harshest monsoon season, water is life.

Photo copyright Aji, 2014; all rights reserved.

That's the subject of today's post over at The NDN Silver Blog. 

The featured item is something to hold the water — practical, beautiful, traditional, and very modestly priced. The post itself comes out of events of yesterday. 

We're seeing climate change here, in real time, and the effects are  sobering, to say the least. We can no longer predict the boundaries of the monsoon season with any hard accuracy, nor do the storms follow their usual patterns as often. They're arriving at different times of day. sometimes earlier in the year, and like yesterday's storm, the large ones are often more rare, but more destructive when they do hit.

We were lucky.

Go take a look. See what this time of year can bring for us. But even with nature's brutality, one fact remains here: Water is life.

Shares very much needed and gratefully welcomed, both today's post (and any others that you might find worthy of sharing), and Wings's main page.