An Ethos of "By Us, for Us" at the Santa Fe Indian Market
Participants in this year’s edition were unafraid to express themselves outside touristic expectations of “tradition,” making work meaningful to themselves and their communities of chosen kin and allies.
SANTA FE — For Seneca artist Mary Jacobs and her daughters Kathryn Hopkins and Samantha Jacobs, beading is a multigenerational family affair. The three award-winning artists shared a booth at the Santa Fe Indian Market this month: Mary, who has shown at the Market for decades, displayed bags, earrings, and other adornments made in the traditional style of Iroquois raised beadwork, while Samantha won a first-prize ribbon for her intricately adorned “Once Upon a Story” box, featuring birds and other flora and fauna of the Northeast beaded over a lush blue velvet backing. Also on view were Hopkins's beadwork earrings that appealed to Gen Z, featuring large rabbit-fur puffs and intricate designs inspired by coral reefs. “Younger girls really love these big earrings that are back in style now,” she said.
Every first weekend in August, thousands of people converge upon New Mexico’s capital for the Santa Fe Indian Market hosted by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), which held its 104th edition August 15–16 with over 1,000 Native artists from more than 200 Tribal Nations. Many of the visitors are non-Native art collectors, museum curators, and tourists seeking to acquire or peruse unique textiles, jewelry, ceramics, clothing, paintings, and other arts and crafts made by Indigenous artists regarded as masters in their fields. Competition for a booth at the largest Indigenous art market in the United States is fierce, and the longer an artist’s participation at SWAIA, the higher the likelihood that they will win a major prize here. A majority of the artists who spoke to Hyperallergic this year reported a regular, continuous presence at the event, with some having participated for up to 26 consecutive years.
Even so, emerging artists are always welcome at the Market, bringing new styles and energy into the space. Nikyle Begay (Diné), who was showing for the first time, won first place in the traditional textiles category for a saddle blanket with a signature curly sheep hair fringe. “It’s a particular type of honor,” Begay said of having a booth at the Santa Fe Indian Market. “Only the best of the best converge here.”
Family lineages of craft and artistry are the foundation, but not the sole determinant, for many emerging artists at Indian Market. Myron Denetclaw (Diné) is currently an MFA student studying interdisciplinary arts at the University of Nevada, Reno, and comes from a long line of weavers. His proud parents, speaking to Hyperallergic, shared photos and stories of Myron’s great-grandmother Ruth Yabeny, grandmother Lucy Whitehorse, and great-aunt Marie Plummer, who were master weavers in the Teec Nos Pos style.
“Myron just always made his own art and looked for mentors himself that he wanted to learn from. He’s entered art contests and won them since he was young,” said Milton Denetclaw, Myron’s father.
