Southwestern Souvenirs

This year’s Indian Market was less crowded in the morning, although the word was that serious collectors were still buying. Many of these purchases occur in the hotels where dealers hold open house. Prices were fairly high, including all the categories. Frankly, compared to other years, I was underwhelmed.

An interesting note: I saw fewer heishi sellers from Kewa Pueblo than in the past, and fewer beaders and fetish carvers. Jewelry remained predominant. Prices for adornment were definitely higher than what one found at the Heard Museum Guild Fair and Indian Market in March. Pottery seemed strong , a trend that has been steady for a while. 

Below is what you need to have when touring SWAIA Indian Market.

This outstanding musician was supposedly “discovered” over twenty years ago at a Heard Guild Fair and Indian Market. I saw R. Carlos Nakai in concert here in the east some years ago and I can tell you he’s an exciting performer on stage. He did an Indian flute version of “Ave Maria” that brought the house down. Ave Maria, you say? What’s that got to do with Native American music? Well, if you haven’t been tuning in to the world of sounds by talented American Indian musicians and vocalists, you have some great learning ahead of you.

R. Carlos Nakai is of Navajo and Ute heritage and his compositions run the gamut of labels from New Age to Jazz to Post-Postmodern. His biography is a remarkable one, too, much like that of other notable American Indian artists. His first album “Changes” was released in 1983 by Canyon Records. His second album, “Cycles,” is one of my very favorites; it was used by Martha Graham for one of her last choreographed dances, and also by the Heard Museum back some years ago as the musical accompaniment to their multimedia introduction to the museum. I remember my first visit to the museum in the late 1980s and how awed I was by how exactly Nakai’s music synchronized with photographs of Indian Country, its peoples, the museum’s holdings, and Southwestern Native culture.

R. Carlos Nakai (r.) performing at the 2010 Heard Guild Fair.

He has become one of the best-known Native musicians in a tough industry. He frequently collaborates with other notable musicians, has over thirty albums out in the marketplace, wins awards regularly, and possesses quietly impressive credentials in other areas. For example, he has an M.A. In American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona and an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University. But Nakai never forgets his base, and he was guest musician at this year’s Heard Fair. What an added treat!