An Indian Market Festival in Colorado...

Today we set off for the Indian Market Festival - all very excited at learning more about Indian culture and the prospect of art and music. Unfortunately in the art and craft pavilions taking photographs was not allowed. Except, I guess if you purchase an artwork. Yes, I you know whats coming - what did she buy? There were thousands of amazing photographs, paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and jewellery amongst other bits and pieces. Garry and I were really impressed with the quality of the art and could easily have spent the entire day wandering and talking to artists about their work.

I was particularly interested in the ledger artwork of Terrance Guardipee (Last Gun). He is a highly recognised artist who incorporates authentic Blackfeet images into his own contemporary form of ledger art.

I fell in love with the above artwork, "Yellow Eagle Woman". Unfortunately I could not afford the $4000.00 price tag. I spent time talking to Terrence about his work and he told me stories about the symbolism in the artworks. I was tempted to purchase a poster of another of his works, for only $50.00, but really I was interested in an original. In the end I settled for a much smaller piece, but still about the same woman riding the horse. The artwork has been completed on the surface of a ledger from 1916.

  

When I was about to pay for his artwork Terrance very kindly told me that he could listen to me talk all day and threw in the poster for free! I was about to say that he didn't need to do that when his wife explained that at a previous market he sold 15 of the large artworks and had also done very well at this three day event - so he could certainly afford it! The Aussie accent seems to be coming in very handy.

At the main stage the music and dancing were entrancing.  We were lucky to watch the band Brule, who are the most popular Native American musical group in the states. They really were great and performed their instrumental pieces along with traditional tribal dancers.

There was also a wild bird show - which was of course the kids favourite. We had the opportunity to see a Falcon, Spectacle Owl and a Bald Eagle called Magissiwa. Magissiwa came to HawkQuest in 2001, from a rehab centre in Washington which she was taken to as a six week old.  HawkQuest is a an environmental education program. I was more than happy to make a donation and have Yasemin and Max have their photograph taken with Magissiwa.

It was a great day and we really enjoyed looking at all the traditional costumes from all the different tribes. Yasemin  made friends with a little girl, and I couldn't resist a photograph.