Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month began in the U.S. as a single designated day which was first recognized by the Boy Scouts of America in 1915. It went through many state legislative appeals and, even though 24 states endorsed the holiday in 1915, a national day was never proclaimed. Several states designated their own annual American Indian Day, New York being the first to make the declaration, though it wasn't until 1990 that President George H. W. Bush approved the designation of November as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Each year since 1994 similar declarations have designated the month of November as one of appreciation and recognition of Native American citizens.

 The following institutions have collaborated to create a website rich with information to honor Native American Heritage Month:

Library of Congress and theNational Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum andU.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Visit their site here to learn more!

Indianica

79 Rue St. Paul Est

Montreal, QC

Smudging Ceremony

Smudging ceremonies are a traditional means of purifying people, a place or objects. Sage, cedar or juniper are burned in an abalone shell (pictured above) and allowed to smolder until smoke appears. The smoke is then passed around a person's body or room, using one's hands or a feather.

  

Smudging ceremonies can be used to purify:

A new home

A place of business

A space before important meetings

During sacred ceremonies

In health centers

Spaces where difficult or negative  events have occurred

Before meditation

According to tradition, it is recommended to offer the smoke to the four directions, beginning to the North or the East and to say a prayer while holding the shell. Native spirituality teaches us that the smoke of the sacred herbs brings our prayers into the spiritual world. As it vanishes into the air, the smoke goes directly into the world of perfect forms called «Ungawi», in Cherokee, this sacred place where all Spirits live. Not only does this smoke brings our message to the world of the Creator, Great Spirit or Great Mystery, the One with so many names in so many languages, but it is also a offering for which the good Spirits are grateful.

Smudging being a holy act, the remaining ashes are sacred and consequently should be given back to the earth in a respectful manner. (In some nations, these ashes are accumulated during the year and buried during a special ceremony.)

To purify your house, first open a door and a window in all rooms. Starting from one side of the door, follow the wall with the shell, sending smoke everywhere, even in cabinets and closets. When you are arrive on the other side of the door, your house will have been entirely purified.

To purify someone, stand before that person and allow the smoke of the shell to come in contact with all parts of its body, starting with the feet and going up. Do the same thing again in his or her back.

 -Earth Eagle

Visit our website for more varieties of incense and herbs!

Indianica

79 Rue St. Paul Est

Montreal, QC

Supporting Native Communities and Businesses

Here at Indianca, we take pride in both the long standing and new found relationships we have developed with Native and Inuit artists and companies. We'd like to take a moment to give special mention to those Native owned companies, community organizations and artists whose work Indianica is pleased to support.

Art Huron International, a Huron nation owned company based in Wendlake, Quebec, produces many fine native crafts including mandellas, dreamcatchers, medicine pouches, dolls for children and incense, all of which are carried in our gallery. We feature Art Huron's line of incense sticks also on our website.

 

Bastien Industries, a Huron-Wendat nation owned company, is a manufacturer of fine leather and suede moccasins and mukluks for men, women and children. Extremely well constructed with rabbit fur and bead embellishments, comfortable foot beds and both indoor and outdoor style choices, Bastien moccasins have been a greatly popular item, both in our gallery and online. 

Native healer, Blue Eagle, has created a line of purifying products, Invocation, which include the very unique Liquid Smudge, a solution for healers who are not allowed to burn herbs and light candles in hospitals and businesses. Indianica is pleased to carry the line, which includes essential oils and bath products, in our gallery. 

  

Manitobah Mukuks, a Metis owned company, began in 1997 and has since been manufacturing highly sought after moccasins and mukluks using both traditional sensibilities and modern technology. Their products are sold internationally and are instantly recognizable for their quality, style and durability. We carry several of their tall suede mukluks and rabbit fur trimmed moccasins, both in our gallery and online.

   

Monague Native Crafts, Ltd is an Ojibway owned company based in Ontario. All products, from jewelry to dreamcatchers, are handmade. At Indianica, we are proud to offer an array of pottery, dolls, dreamcatchers and jewelry which have delighted and intrigued our international customers for years. Online, you can browse our extensive collection of dreamcatchers, all from Monague!

  

The Nunavut Development Corporation is "...committed to a vibrant, diverse and stable economy throughout Nunavut. It creates employment and income opportunities for residents through business development in arts, crafts, and cuisine with sensitivity to cultural and spiritual values." Indianica is especially proud to represent many talented arctic artists who work in soapstone and serpentine carvings, wool tapestries and doll making. We are currently working directly with the Nunavut Development Corporation to create an historical and biographical online database of artists we represent, whether they are relatively obscure or internationally known. 

If there is a Native owned arts and crafts manufacturer who you would like to see represented here in Montreal feel free to contact us! We are always looking for new and interesting artists while on our quest to support and promote indigenous cultures.

Indianica

79 Rue St. Paul Est

Montreal, QC

Friday Feature: Tufa Cast Jewellery

Offered here are some incredible and iconic pieces of  tufa cast jewellery by Hopi artist Steve Wikviya Larance. Steve recently held a reception for his collection at Indianica. Each piece of jewellery is signed with the artist's name and Hopi sun design. We have sold many of his pieces since, and only a few are left!

Tufa cast sterling silver is done by pouring molten silver into a carved design or depression done in tufa stone. Tufa is a very soft, chalk-like material that only a few pieces can be produced using the same carving, as heat eventually cracks the stone. Each silver item must then be individually hand finished using files, sandpaper and a polishing wheel. This is a very time consuming and exhausting process (Savvy Collector,Corinne Cain, ASA).

Tufa stone is a type of limestone which forms in close proximity to bodies of water with a high content of dissolved minerals, especially calcium carbonate. There are a number of uses for tufa, ranging from construction to artwork, and it is also interesting to view in situ. Tufa, incidentally, is not the same thing a stuff, a form of rock formed from volcanic ash, although the two rocks have many similar uses.

This stone tends to be soft and extremely porous. The porous nature of tufa makes it very popular for planters, as it will easily drain, rather than trapping water. Tufa can also be used as a sculpture medium, and it is used by some jewelers as a casting medium. To cast with tufa stone, jewelers and other metalworkers carve the desired shape into the rock, commonly forming a two-piece mold, and then pour hot metal into the mold. Although tufa is soft, it can handle high heat, so it will not crack or distort when used as a mold (S.E. Smith).

Internationally renowned master Hopi jeweler, Steve Wikviya Larance has won many awards for his unique Tufa Cast Jewelry at many prestigious shows including Eitljorg Museum Indian Market (Indianapolis, IN), the Heard Museum Art Market (Phoenix, AZ) and Santa Fe Indian Market (Santa Fe, NM). His work has been shown in many museums as well, including; The Vancouver Museum (Vancouver, BC), The Linden Museum (Stuttgart, Germany) and the National Museum of the American Indian, (Washington, DC). Steve's jewelry was also included in a traveling show which visited many museums called "Totems to Turquoise" in 2006-2008. He was also selected as a Smithsonian Artist Fellow for the National Museum of the American Indian in 2007.

Visit us online, or stop by the gallery today to see more examples of Hopi, Zuni and Navajo jewellery

Indianica
79 Rue St.Paul Est
Montreal, QC
H2Y 3R1