Holiday Gift Guide 2010

At Indianica, we're certain you'll find a special gift for everyone on your list this holiday season. From fine jewellery to painted ornaments and gifts for children, we have something for everyone!

 

 

Above is a selection of fine art prints from native artists Dawn Oman and Cecil Youngfox. We have many more prints in a variety of style and subject matter available both online and in our gallery.

Small, handmade porcupine quill baskets make special places to keep jewellery, coins, herbs and other small precious items. Each is unique and we have just a few left!

These desk boxes are sculpted from crushed marble composite by West Coast artist Thomas McPhee and make a handsome addition to any home or office decor. Many more motifs are available in our gallery.

Northwest Coast potlatch style serving bowls are make an impressive statement to your holiday dinner table. See more styles in our gallery.

Quebec artist France Fauteux sculpts delicately poised birds and animals in ceramic. These make a very special gift for someone who enjoys fine craft or appreciates natural beauty. See more sculptures online and in our gallery.

We also carry a line of do-it-yourself log cabin kits which make great gifts for kids! Each kit comes with instructions.

...Stay tune for more great holiday gift ideas from Indianica! Feel free to stop in our gallery anytime and a member of our sales staff will be happy to help you find what you're looking for!

Indianica

79 Rue St. Paul Est

Montreal, QC

Boivin Lampiste

Boivin Lampiste is a Montreal-based artist who specializes in deer, elk and moose antler lamps and chandeliers. Indianica currently has two such fixtures on display in our gallery (see above) and we also accept custom orders. If you have a specific design idea or request, please contact us to arrange a consultation with the artist!

For more examples of the artist's work visit the Boivin Lampiste website here

Indianica
79 Rue St. Paul Est
Montreal, QC

The Polar Bear Controversy

Indianica began as a furrier business 25 years ago. It has since grown tremendously into a Native craft and Inuit art gallery which offers a range of gifts and fine art objects for the casual tourist and seasoned collector alike. When possible, we support native owned businesses and pay native artists directly for the work we carry in our gallery. We take pride in sharing what we can of native culture with whomever is interested enough to step through our doors.We offer everything from Canadian souvenirs, hand crafted moccasins, dreamcatchers, birch baskets, traditional clothing, soapstone sculptures and fine silver jewellery.

We also sell ... polar bears.

Full mounted polar bears and polar bear skin rugs have long been items of great interest to both our Canadian and international guests. More often than not, customers in our gallery react with awe, admiration and the question "...is it REAL?"

Yes, they are real. Yes, you may take a photo. And, yes, they are for sale.

Occasionally these questions are followed by another, very important point: "Is it legal to hunt and sell polar bears? Aren't they endangered?"

Each year, a specific number of hunting permits are issued in indigenous communities in Canada to legally hunt polar bears. Many bears come from Nunavut, an area where polar bear populations are not currently at high risk of endangerment or extinction. Some believe the hunting permits and sale of polar bear skins actually provide revenue for communities in which very few sources of industry or export exist.

More information about polar bear populations in Nunavut is available from CBC in an article dated May 28, 2010 HERE

It is indeed a sensitive and controversial topic and we invite all view points to be taken seriously. Sensitivity to both Indigenous communities and contemporary climate change concerns are valid and needed to view the topic objectively. We invite you to visit our gallery to learn more!

Indianica
79 Rue St. Paul Est
Montreal, QC

Haida Heritage Centre Presents: Dare to be Deep Tour

From Left: NikaCollison, Associate Curator of Haida Gwaii Museum at Kaay Llnagaay, Nadine Wilson, Patrol Officer Gwaii Haanas NPR and Haida Heritage Site, George Kiorpelidis, Owner Indianica, Jason Alsop, Elected Representative for the Council of the Haida Nation and Manager of the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay, Duane Alsop, Councillor of Skidegate Band Council

Today, we were lucky enough to meet several representatives of the Haida Heritage Centre who, in conjunction with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), are currently touring across Canada to promote awareness and appreciation of one of our greatest natural resources: our oceans.

"Dare to be Deep" is a lecture and performance based tour which aims to educate, entertain and provoke serious thought and consideration:

"With fantastic regalia, the Haida dance group, Spirit of our Ancestors, promise great storytelling told through songs and dances. From the ceremonial “Paddle Dance” to the “Dance of the Animal Kingdom”, the dances recreate the natural and supernatural worlds of the Haida.Representatives from Parks Canada and CPAWS will also present beautiful multimedia and reveal the latest news about the efforts to safeguard Canadian oceans."

A word from "Dare to be Deep":

“For the past century, Canada has protected mountains, valleys, rivers – everything on the land. But Canada’s oceans – with incredible undersea worlds and creatures – remain largely unprotected,” explains Sabine Jessen, CPAWS national oceans manager. “As Canadians, we need to turn our attention from green to blue. Ocean conservation has really come to the forefront.”

While nine percent of Canada’s land is protected, just one percent of the country’s oceans have federal protection. Everyone agrees that’s not enough. In 1992, Canada resolved to create a network of marine “parks”, known as marine protected areas, on the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic coasts. Much remains to be done.

For more photos, visit the CPAWS Flick page!

Friday Feature: Silver Stag Knives

We are very excited to present a new line of field and hunting knives at Indianca from Silver Stag. Our customers appreciate only the finest quality and it is with confidence that we offer the following models both online and in-store (for additional models stop by the gallery!)

A word from Silver Stag:

"Every single unit is hand made by skilled American craftsmen and no two knives will ever be exactly the same. We use three types of High Carbon Tool Steel to manufacture our exclusive designs; D2, 1095, and 15N20. We are the only company in the world manufacturing an exclusive line of American antler knives manufactured from domestically produced high carbon tool steels.Our focus and mission is to provide you, our valued customer, with a truly unique American made line of working knives that will last a lifetime."

Indianica

79 rue St.Paul Est

Montreal, QC

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

The Remarkable Larance Family

Recently, one of the artists we are proud to support at Indianica, Steve Wikviya Larance, was featured along with his family in the Fall 2010 issue of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian magazine in an article titled "Shining Brightly".

As a team, Steve and his wife Marian, create  beautiful pieces of Hopi style tufa cast jewelry (see previous post describing the process), and their children Nizhoni, Cree and Shandien are all artists as well. Their oldest son, Nakotah, is a professional hoop dancer and performs as a principal character in the Cirque du Soleil production of Totem.

Stay tuned for an interview with Steve!