January:March 2006
Volume 3, Issue 1
Trading Post Times
R i v e r
T r a d i n g
P o s t
C L I F F F RAGUA : RTP’ S A RTIST I N R E S I D E N C E
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Merlin Kopelva: Hopi
Carver
2
1890’s Grass Dance
Classic
2
Favorite Places: Palatki
3
Native American Images: 3
Website Worth Checking
Navajo Beauty In a
Small Package
4
Renowned sculptor Cliff Fragua, Jemez Pueblo, will make
River Trading Post, Scottsdale
his home during the first three
months of the new year.
Among Cliff Fragua’s most
important work, is his rendition
of Po’Pay, that was carved
from a 7.5 ton block of Tennessee pink marble.
Visitors to Scottsdale during
January, February and March
will have the opportunity to
visit a fully working version of
Fragua’s famed Singing Stone
Studio at River Trading Post,
Scottsdale.
Po’Pay, described as the leader
of the “First American Revolution,” was the visionary leader
of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680,
which drove the Spanish conquerors out of New Mexico for
twelve years.
During his RTP residency, Fragua will create a number of
important new sculptures, including three special limited
edition bronze pieces that will
be available to River Trading
Post visitors.
The seven-foot-high statue of
Po’pay is on permanent display
at the U.S. Statuary Hall, and is
the only statue carved by a Native American sculptor displayed in the hall.
Cliff Fragua and
Child Of The Clouds
Fragua’s Po’Pay
at the U.S. Capitol Building
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
• Cliff Fragua residency at River
Trading Post, Scottsdale. January 10 through April 10 2006.
Scottsdale, AZ
• River Trading Post, Scottsdale
Arts of Native America show.
Reception Thursday, March 2
from 6pm to 9pm. Show through
Saturday, March 4.
• Heard Museum Indian Market.
Saturday, March 4 and Sunday,
March 5. Phoenix, AZ.
RTP S C O T T S DALE H O S T S 3 R D A R T S
A M E R I C A S HOW A N D S A L E
River Trading Post, Scottsdale
will host its third annual Arts Of
Native America Show and Sale
with a kick-off artist’s reception
on Thursday evening, March 2.
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet with many world
class artists, including Cliff
OF
N ATIVE
Fragua, Joe Cajero, Emily Tafoya, Merlin Kopelva and others.
many of whom will participate
in the Heard show during that
weekend.
The Thursday event will include an evening of good food,
music by Hopi music group
Blu Thunder and plenty of conversation with Native artists,
If your plans take you to the
Heard, be sure to drop by River
Trading Post from Thursday
evening through Saturday to
enjoy the art and the artists.
Page 2
Trading Post Times
K O P E LVA : H O P I C ARVER O F E XCELLENCE
Merlin Kopelva might be considered an emerging artist by
some. And, while it’s true that
Merlin has just recently made
his work available to the public,
his work has taken collectors by
storm.
Kopelva carves in the traditional manner, using cottonwood root and only natural
pigments for decorative purposes.
Merlin Kopelva
While his Kachina dolls are
traditional in style, each one
actually stands on its feet, as
well as hangs on the wall.
Merlin was “discovered” by
River Trading Post in Scottsdale, and has been mentored by
Kathi Ouellet, our Scottsdale
gallery director.
Merlin is so good, that a special
page on the River Trading Post
website is devoted to his work.
You are certain to enjoy Merlin
Kopelva’s work at any of our
galleries, or on our website. If
you collect Kachina dolls, Kopelva is a must add to your
collection.
Masao by Merlin Kopelva
1890’S GRASS DANCE NECKLACE
RTP S C O T T S DALE
The Grass Dance originally was
a sacred ritual. It was a part of a
long and complex ceremony
performed by warrior societies
among various tribes of the
plains.
In some regions, a grass dancer
was called upon to perform his
dance in a ceremonial healing
intended to doctor a sick child
who was too weak to move.
Grass dances also blessed feast
grounds where dancers blessed
the ground while they danced
to the beat of the drum. While
they danced, they flattened the
grass with their feet in preparation for the ceremonies to take
place.
Beautifully quilled necklaces, as
the one pictured at the left,
were donned for the Grass
D I S P L AYED AT
Dance.
The Sioux Grass Dance necklace on display at RTP, Scottsdale dates back to the 1890’s. It
is an excellent example of the
fine quill work of the era, and
one can only imagine the
beauty of the necklace during
the dance.
F O U R G R E AT C O L L E C T O R
EXPERIENCES
Scottsdale
Whether you are decorating
your home, or are an avid collector of fine American Indian
art, you will find River Trading
Post has a great mix of historic
and contemporary art from
over 50 tribal nations.
Come visit. Enjoy!
Santa Fe
River Trading Post
314 N. River Street
Dundee, Illinois 60118
847-426-6901
610 B. Canyon Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505-982-2805
Dundee
7140 E. 1st Avenue
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
480-444-0001
www.rivertradingpost.com
RTP On-Line
Volume 3, Issue 1
Page 3
F AVO R I T E P LACES : P A L ATKI
The foliage here is thick and
rich, deep green. You follow
the trail, as people have for the
past 6000 years, cross a small
stream and encounter a brilliant
red cliff.
Suddenly, you are awestruck by
a structure tucked into an alcove high in the cliff. You do a
double take to make sure that
you are seeing things correctly.
The Hopi call it Palatki (red
house), a place constructed by
the Southern Sinagua people
who inhabited this Arizona
area from about 650 A.D. to
around 1300 A.D. (Sinagua
means “without water.”) Experts believe that from 30 to 50
people occupied the place.
And, as if the dwelling isn’t
enough, the cliff walls on either
side of the dwelling make a
veritable gallery of ancient art.
The people used pigments of
kaolin clay for the white, and
pulverized hematite for red
tones, powdered limonite for
the yellows and charcoal for
black. Blood or fruit juice
made binders.
Using this palate, the gallery
was created. Images of the
people themselves, the animals
of the area and abstract symbols
literally cover the walls. It is a
magnificent display, sheltered
through the ages by the overhanging red rock.
Palatki or “Red House”
Many of the images were produced from as long ago as
3000-6000 years, according to
the experts.
This favorite place of ours is at
Loy Butte, just outside of Sedona, Arizona. It simply is
awesome.
Ancient Rock Art At Palatki
C AVA E T E MPTOR (B U Y E R B EWARE )
Navajo weavers are the world’s
finest. Hopi Kachina carvers
preserve an age old tradition
with dignity and respect. Zuni
Fetish carvers share the essence
of animal spirits with us. And
the Pueblo People work the
blessed clay into the exceptional pottery that we all can
enjoy.
The fine arts and crafts of Native American people are seen
in museums throughout our
country, incorporated into the
finest home décor, and treasured as highly desirable collectables.
Worse, unscrupulous dealers
mark up items beyond market
value, artificially discount
them, and the buyer still overpays.
Sadly, business is flourishing
for people that sell “Indian Art”
to unsuspecting buyers that is
out and out fake. The problem
is especially true with fake
“Indian” jewelry imported from
overseas.
Federal and state laws prohibit
both of these practices, yet buyers are stung every day as they
shop “Indian stores”.
Buying Native American art can
be a pleasure, or fraught with
fraud. Buy from someone that
you trust.
Be careful. Work with a knowledgeable gallery that you can
trust. You will rest assured.
N ATIVE A M E R I C A N I M A G E S - A N RTP W E B S I T E
WORTH C HECKING
Native American Images is a website especially for people interested in historic and contemporary photography of Native
America.
The site was created by the
folks at River Trading Post, and
is used extensively as a resource
for Native American studies
from kindergartens in Connecticut to universities in California.
websites that we can find.
The site is devoted to the
people, places and land of
Native America. You will find
great photography, videos, poetry and more as you visit the
site, as well as links to the most
interesting Native American
Over 15 million people have accessed Native American Images and
we thought you might enjoy exploring it also. Find us at
www.nativeamericanimages.org
Native American Images
presents over 2,500 images and
videos of Native America
314 N. River Street
East Dundee, IL 60118
Phone: 866-426-6901
www.rivertradingpost.com
Arts of Native America
N AVA J O B EAUTY I N A S M A L L P ACKAGE
Navajo potter Wallace Nez, Jr.
has been described by many as
a perfectionist. This is certainly
true when you look at his remarkable pottery.
Wallace Nez, Navajo Potter
Miniature pottery by
Wallace Nez shows exceptionally fine detail. This piece
measures just a bit over 1.5
inches in diameter, and just
1- 1/4 inches high.
His small creations are handcoiled and molded from clay
deep within the earth of Northern Arizona. He etches his pottery with a scalpel and paints
with both natural and commercial dyes. Horses, bears and
butterflies often dance around
his delicate work and frequently
he honors his grandmother by
carving a Navajo wedding basket on the underside of the pot.
Nez grew up in southern Utah
on his grandfather’s farm and
by the age of nine started form-
ing pottery. By age 12 he sold
his first piece and by 15 became
an award- winning potter.
Over the years he has won dozens of top awards, including
Best of Division at both the
Heard Museum Guild Indian
Fair and Market and Santa Fe’s
Indian Market in 2004. At
Market this year he was
awarded the 2005 SWAIA Fellowship Award, a cash award
and honor bestowed to rising
artists.
"My ability to create such beautiful pieces is a gift from God
for which I will always be
thankful. It is my goal as an
artist to use the gift to the fullest
with the hope that it will bring
as much enjoyment into the
lives with others as it brings
into my life.”
-Wallace Nez
A fine selection of Nez’s pottery is available at Traditional
Pueblo Arts located within
River Trading Post in Scottsdale, Arizona and also online at
www.puebloarts.com.