Last weekend, Sara R posted the last diary in the Spring, 2013 edition of the full Kos Katalogue - and yes, as far as I know, this is the last edition of the Kos Katalogue until the winter holidays. We have dozens of artists, craftspeople, and merchants on this site who create and sell wonderful products and services, and whose businesses need support. With spring officially here, we have lots of gift opportunities in the offing - Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, weddings, new babies, and of course all the usual birthdays and other festivities. The focus this week is on fathers, father figures, or any very important man in your life, whatever his role.
NOTE: Be sure to watch for Sara R's upcoming diary, probably tomorrow, featuring Pootie Pads and the Community Quilt Project!
Sprite by Andrew Lang, image from wikipedia
Last winter, the Kos Katalogue launched the Secret Santa program: Kossacks nominated people (themselves or others) for specific items for Kos Katalogue merchants, and orange elves went to work donating to make it happen. It's now Spring, and Santa's busy prepping for Christmas, but never fear - we have the Sprite of Spring! Kind of like
Rite of Spring, only with more bling: She helps make sure that Spring-y gifts make it to their intended owners. It all works exactly the same way, so if you want something from Wings's inventory but can't justify spending the money on yourself, or if you know of someone who you think needs a particular piece, let me know in comments or Kosmail, and I'll put them on the list.
You can see our current nominees, and the objects of their desire, in the tip jar.
WINGS: HANDS ON SILVER
This week's edition is dedicated to the men in your life. Father's Day is coming up next month, but for many folks, other men play the same or equally important roles. We have wide array of American Indian art that's appropriate for honoring the men who are important to you, from Wings's silverwork to a broad assortment of other types of art by Native artists from the area - dreamcatchers, drums, fetishes, katsinam, leatherwork, medicine wheels, paintings, pottery, sculpture, weapons, and much more. I've included a few samples near the end of the diary, but if you're looking for something specific that you don't see here, leave me a comment or Kosmail me. Immediately over the jump are examples of gorgeous traditional silversmithing with enough of a contemporary edge to wear anytime, anywhere. [Note: Photos are not to scale.]
WEARABLE ART
Most of the jewelry pictured here is designed expressly to be worn by either men or women. There is also a far greater selection at the Web site, and by the end of today, I'll have images several new pieces uploaded there. But for purposes of this diary, I've chosen to highlight a few that seem to me especially appropriate for men, for reasons both stylistic and symbolic.
BELT BUCKLES
In the Southwest, belt buckles are both fashion accessory and art form. Both men and women wear specialized belt buckles, and for both dress and casual wear. Sometimes they're relatively small and understated, relying on stampwork for personal expression; examples are the first two. Sometimes they're more elaborate, particularly the traditional Southwestern Indian "concha-style" buckle. While most concha belts tend to be worn by women (most, but nowhere near all, especially among Indians), concha-style buckles are commonly worn by men, as well. Such buckles can be extremely large and very elaborate. The two pictured here (the third and fourth in this section) are fairly small, and suitable for most forms of dress.
"Morning Star Blossoms" belt buckle. Sterling silver; $255 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Night Lodge" belt buckle. Sterling silver; $255 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Sunburst Sky" concha-style belt buckle. $480 (+ $15 shipping/insurance).
"The Way of the Sun" concha-style belt buckle. $525 (+ $15 shipping/insurance).
BRACELETS
As I've noted in past diaries in this series, cuff bracelets are an especially iconic form of Southwestern Indian jewelry. Wings makes link bracelets, too, and even the occasional bangle, but cuffs are by far the most popular. Here, I've chosen a selection of them in styles that would be suitable for men (as well as for women).
"Elemental" cuff bracelet. Sterling silver; staurolite. $425 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Sacred Drops" triangle-wire cuff bracelet. Solid sterling silver. $375 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"North Star" cuff bracelet. Sterling silver with sterling silver overlays. $325 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Sacred Peaks" cuff bracelet. Sterling silver. $325 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Spirit Lodges" anticlastic cuff bracelet. Sterling silver. $275 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Molten Sky" anticlastic cuff bracelet. Copper. $175 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Copper Lake" anticlastic cuff bracelet. Hammered copper. $175 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Finding Water" cuff bracelet. $155 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
NECKLACES, PENDANTS, AND PINS
All of the necklaces, pendants, and pins shown here are designed to be worn by either men or women. A lot of people may regard the dragonfly as a more feminine symbol, but in some traditions, he's a messenger of the spirits, and I've known men who've been pulled strongly to the dragonfly symbolism. The horse symbolism is likewise without gender: It's an animal with a long and proud tradition among our peoples as both companion and fellow warrior.
The necklace below is a replica of a an old-fashioned tobacco flask. Many of Wings's flasks are actual, functioning pieces that can be used to hold tobacco or other items, but this one is strictly a replica; the bail sits where the mouth of the flask would normally be, and thus, it does not open. The tassels are made of actual horsehair, from our own horses.
"Horsetail Sky" necklace. Sterling silver; amethyst cabochons; horsehair tassels; deerhide thong. $425 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Wind Dancer" necklace. Sterling silver. $325 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
A lot of Southwestern Indian art, in whatever medium, that features animals also features what is known as a "heartline." You may also see some people refer to it as a "lifeline" or a "breathline." Generally speaking, it's a line that begins at or near the animal's mouth, and stretches across its body: sometimes all the way, sometimes only part of the way; sometimes straight, sometimes curved, sometimes zigzagging; sometimes with an arrowhead at one end, or at both. Wings uses the symbolism somewhat regularly in his silverwork animals, like these two buffalo. The first is a more gentle version, as reflected in the piece's name - nurturing, life-affirming. The second is more powerful, like the thundering storms that keep life growing here in the desert.
"Buffalo River" pendant. Sterling silver. $125 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Buffalo Lightning" pendant. Sterling silver. $125 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
In this part of the country, pins are also commonly worn by men as well as by women. One place you'll see pins around here is on cowboy hats - attached to a beaded headband, or simply pinned to the side of the crown. They're also popular on lapels for "Cowboy Dress" - on the jackets or, at least as often, the vests that pass for formal attire in an area like this.
"Tiwa Mist" Pueblo pin. Sterling silver; blue opal cabochon. $225 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
Like the Pueblo pin above, the "Spirit Horse" is one of Wings's iconic designs, and these are the two current entries in his signature series of the same name. The horse visited him in a dream one night, and since then, he has produced dozens of variations, each with its own particular symbolism. No two are ever identical.
"Moonlit Trail" Spirit Horse pin. Sterling silver; lapis cabochon. $225 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Dawn's Guide" Spirit Horse pin. Sterling silver; garnet cabochon. $225 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
MEN'S RINGS
Finally, we come to rings. In addition to those pictured here, we have a couple of plain sterling silver rings with dual-ridged bands that would be appropriate for men. In addition, we have a number of rings with single gemstone cabochons; in this part of the country, it's not unusual to see men wear that type of ring, either. All but the anticlastic one pictured at the bottom may be sized to fit.
"Storm Hoop" men's ring. Sterling silver. $125 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
"Thunderhead" anticlastic men's ring. $150 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
OTHER ART
We also have options for the man who doesn't wear jewelry. I'm including a small cross-section here of the other types of Native art that we carry, but we have much more. Items not pictured include katsinam, pottery, and wall art (including paintings in a variety of media and styles).
DRUMS
Drums are a favorite with both men and women. In recent years, they seem to be an especial favorite of grandparents, who threaten to (and sometimes do) buy them as a source of schadenfreude. We have a couple of small drums (so new, they're not pictured here) that would be suitable for children, if a bit expensive at $125 apiece: wood and leather, painted on one side in a turtle design, with a traditional beater. We also have two remaining drum ornaments like those pictured at the end of this section. But most of ours are not merely for art, but for actual (adult) use: hand drums and powwow-style drums.
Up first, hand drums by one of our master drum-makers, Elk Good Water (his wife, Dolly, does the artwork on the front):
White buffalo hand drum w/beater by Elk Good Water. $375 (+ $15 shipping/insurance).
Three-horse hand drum w/beater by Elk Good Water. $375 (+ $15 shipping/insurance).
Turtle hand drum w/beater by Elk Good Water. $375 (+ $15 shipping/insurance).
Next up, powwow-style upright drums, from another master drum-maker, Lee Lujan. Lee makes his the traditional Taos Pueblo way, by hollowing out a tree trunk, so that the drum itself is all one piece. We also have four of his other drums in stock: one large flat dual-sided drum; one large upright; one small upright; and one [unpainted] hand drum.
Tall powwow-style drum by Lee Lujan. $495 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
Upright powwow-style drum by Lee Lujan. $495 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
And for those for whom an actual drum is too big an investment - or simply too big for current living arrangements - there are drum-style miniature ornaments:
Miniature rear-view mirror drum ornaments by Buck Romero. $25 (+ $5 shipping/insurance).
SCULPTURE
We carry sculpture by several Pueblo artisans ranging in size from large museum-style sculpture to miniatures known as fetishes. Two of our most popular master carvers are Ned Archuleta, from Taos Pueblo, and Mark Swazo-Hinds, from Tesuque Pueblo (just north of Santa Fe). Ned works largely in alabaster and marble, and does both sculpture and fetishes; Mark tends to prefer different types of sandstone, and is also known for larger-than-life installations.
Buffalo sculpture by Ned Archuleta. Pink alabaster with pipestone horns; $375 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
Horse-head sculpture by Ned Archuleta. Pink alabaster on pink alabaster base; $425 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
"Tiwa Messengers" by Ned Archuleta. Alabaster on wood base; $525 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
Small medicine bear sculpture by Mark Swazo-Hinds. Orange alabaster; medicine bundle includes macaw feathers, turquoise, shell, and pottery sherd; approximately 6" long. $425 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
Large medicine bear sculpture by Mark Swazo-Hinds. Sandstone; medicine bundle includes macaw feathers, turquoise, shell, and pottery sherd; approximately 12.5" long. $2,500 (extra shipping/insurance charges apply).
We also have a selection of miniature carvings known as fetishes (in the 1"-3" size range), by a selection of carvers from Taos and Zuni Pueblos. Examples include bears, beavers, birds, buffalo, and turtles, as well as some small "vintage-style" horse carvings by a Ponca artist.
Bear fetish by Justin Gomez. Alabaster on orange alabaster base; $30 (+ $10 shipping/insurance).
TRADITIONAL WEAPONS
In Native cultures, traditional weapons are also an art form. We carry the work of several tribal artists who make traditional weaponry, both for collecting and for actual use. We've sold them to both men and women, but in my experience, the items in this category are especially attractive to boys - from 3 to 103.
We have bow and arrow sets that range from miniature rear-view mirror ornaments to child's toys to a full-size, fully-functioning, fully-tipped bow and arrow set with a fringed quiver. Here, I've featured the largest and the smallest:
Bow and arrow set with fringed white buckskin quiver by Daniel Marcus. $895 (extra shipping charges apply).
Note: That item you see in the background, at lower left? It's a powwow hairpiece, made by Elk Good Water (who made the hand drums shown above). We have two of them in stock.
Miniature bow-and-arrow rear-view mirror ornaments. Made by two little girls from the Pueblo, sisters, whose father is also an artist. $15 (+$5 shipping/insurance).
Another item that attracts boys of all ages is the wooden slingshot:
Hand-made slingshots by Joe Concha. $20 (+$5 shipping/insurance).
As noted above, we have a wide selection of other art on the Web site, as well as plenty of items, particularly by other Native artists, that isn't posted anywhere. In addition, Wings also has a small supply of new silver, so he can take commissions again. If you're looking for something specific that you don't see, Kosmail me or let me know in the comments.
And if you're looking for some other type of art, or some other product or service, please consult the merchants in the full Kos Katalogue. It's a way to shop liberally and support small business owners who are friends and fellow Kossacks.