ABOUT SHARON AND BARRY - NATIVE ARTS TRADING
I
heard Sharon on the phone the other day with a client telling
them about her past and her Indian heritage. I thought,
why don't we say that on our web site? So here is what she
said.....
"My
Great Grandfather was a full blood Cherokee. You can find
him on the Dawes Rolls. He married my Grandmother who Scottish
ancestry. They were moved onto the reservation in Oklahoma".
Although
Sharon is of Cherokee heritage and from Texas, she is at this
time not enrolled with the Cherokee Nation. Therefore, she
cannot state that the art she produces is Native American
made. Her great grandfather appears on the Dawes Rolls, but
in order for her to be enrolled - she must find the missing
birth certificate of her grandmother. Sharon cannot find out
whether she was born on the reservation in Oklahoma or in
Texas. Further to this, the funeral home where her grandmother
was buried caught on fire and those records were destroyed
sometime in the 50's or 60's. The search goes on...
For
many folks, this does not prove to be a problem as you
cannot take away someone's heritage of culture just because
they do not possess a piece of paper that states that
they are Native American or not. The art pieces that Sharon
hand makes stand testament to the culture. She is passionate
as well as I am about representing her culture –
-Native American culture to the best of our ability Through
this, we provide many pieces for Native American themselves,
collectors, museums and the media, etc. Although Sharon
is American - born in Texas and lived in States such as
Arizona, Wyoming and Alaska for much of her life, she
has made a home with me in Scotland. I am not a stranger
to the US either, Although British - I lived a lot my
life in Seattle. We now just happen to be living in Scotland
(by the way, it is a lot like parts of Colorado, Montana,
Idaho, Washington and Alberta Canada). Sharon is passionate
about representing her culture the correct wa, just as
I am. Even the so-called scholars/historians of Native
American culture and other Native Americans do not always
agree. There can always be a healthy debate and we do
not purport to know everything about the culture, ceremonies
or history, etc. Like most, we are always continuing to
learn. We do however like to answer any questions that
you may have about the Native American Indian - whether
it be about cultural, ceremonial, historical or educational
aspects.We live with our two dogs, and our North American
Buffalo on a small holding.
When
we started Native Arts Trading some 17 years plus ago, we
were interested in art pieces that were hand made, that
told a story and represented all good aspects about traditional
and contemporary Native American Indian art. We made a conscious
decision not to get involved with the so called tourist/novelty
items, but remain very faithful to Native American Indian
artisans.
We
have - and continue to work with some very talented enrolled
Native American artisans from Jerry Lefthand (Navajo),
Dan Bert Yazzie (Navajo / Hopi), Dow Haddaway (Shawnee),
Marvin Yazzie (Navajo), Cheyenne / Arapaho, Sioux, Apache,
Woodlands artists, etc., to name but a few. You will see
some of their work showcased on our web site with their
tribal affiliation noted.
Over the years, some of these artisans have come and gone,
but we still continue to work closely with many other Native
Americans that make items for us such as bows, other weaponry,
pipes, flutes, jewelry, etc.We
did decide sometime ago that we no longer wanted to carry
a huge amount of art from Native American artisans that
we really did not know or did not have a personal relationship
with them. We wanted to pursue and to continue to work with
artisans on a custom basis and are continuing looking for
other talented Native American artists all of the time.
Sharon & Barry Holton
NATIVE ARTS Trading
Finella Lodge, Drumtochty, by Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire AB30 1TR SCOTLAND
Tel: +44 (0)1561 320914
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