With the holidays bearing down on us like a roaring, rushing freight train, I've found something new and different in the Native American line for you to give your favorite collector-- or perhaps, keep as a gift for yourself.
The Gathering Place and Navajo Co-op Store, features and sells southwest merchandise crafted by local artists to promote the artists and provide income for health and literacy programs. The Co-op sells a wide variety of collectibles including jewelry, pottery, rugs and kachinas that have been purchased from local Native American artists.
But my personal favorite has quickly become the Navajo Fancy Bears. The bears, regular prize winners in the Gallup Indian Ceremonial, have become the Co-op's most popular item.
The Fancy Bears were initiated as a cottage industry for under-employed women on the Reservation; however, they quickly took on lives of their own and have been seen in collectors shows and arts and crafts fairs around the country and even in Australia. The Navajo women carefully hand-cut the fabric and create a unique personality for each bear, allowing each its own unique characteristics. As with other Native American arts and crafts, each bear brings with it a part of the heart of the person who crafted it.
Fancy Bears come in three sizes, Small Bear (14 inch), Medium Bear (18 inch) and Large Bear (21 inch). They are made of Southwestern print wool-blend fabric in one of four styles, Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo Bright or Pastel.
New additions to the line are adorable Honey Bears and Animal Friends. The beautifully detailed Honey Bears are also individually hand-crafted by local Navajo women. They have little pot bellies and winsome expressions as they await the next honeypot. The Honey Bears come in two sizes, Small (14 inch) and Large (18 inch). Then there are the beary good friends, Tina Turtle and Beatrice Bunny (the turtle is really cute!).
Other sewn collectibles at the Co-op include the soft sculptured mischievous Navajo children handmade by staff member, Clara Begay--the Naughty Boy and Naughty Girl. They are soft-sewn and approximately 10 inches tall. For Begay, the details of the doll's face and body take on more character and nuance with each new project. Every doll is carefully, lovingly crafted--a true and unique work of art.
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