Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
The 47th Annual S’edav Va’aki Museum Indian Market is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 4619 E. Washington St. in Phoenix.
The Indian Market features more than 100 Native American artists vending fine art, crafts and cultural items, as well as main stage performances, cultural demonstrator area and food sales, representatives of the brand tell the Digital Free Press.
“This year, we are taking the Indian Market to new heights with an array of high quality, fine art pieces that are sure to impress Indigenous art collectors,” said Nicole Armstrong-Best, museum administrator. “We look forward to sharing this beautiful artwork, along with meaningful cultural traditions with the Phoenix community and visitors.”
Main stage entertainment includes hoop dancing, Native American flute, a Tohono O’odham Waila Band, traditional dance and solo guitar. The cultural demonstrators in the Ki:him (O’odham word for village) area provide hands-on learning in hoop dancing, beading, gourd art, shell etching, mask making, basket makers, weavers and other activities suitable for all ages.
Performers on the main stage include:
- Gabriel Ayala (Yaqui), renowned composer and guitar player
- Tony Duncan (Apache, Arikara and Hidatsa), World Champion Hoop Dancer and Native American flute player
- Violet Duncan (Kehewin Cree), internationally recognized dancer and storyteller
- Chi Chino Spirit O’Odham Dance Group, traditional song and dance of the Akimel O’Odham (Pima Tribe) from Gila River Indian Community
- Gertie & the T.0.Boyz – Gertrude Lopez and her Tohono O’odham Waila Band
Martha Ludlow-Martinez, a singer and storyteller from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, is the main stage emcee. At the Indian Market, guests can enjoy popular Native American foods including fry bread, Navajo tacos and vegan selections from vendors like Tammy & Chris’s Frybread, Bear Beans Coffee, The REZ an Urban Eatery and Sunny Concessions.
This year’s featured artist for the market is Richard Dawavendewa (Hopi) who is a printmaker and bookbinder.
Mr. Dawavendewa works primarily in printmaking forms of linoleum relief and serigraphy and strives to convey his inner artist mind and heart as it relates to his Hopi tribal culture. He also incorporates bookbinding with his print media to create artists’ books for an inclusive dynamic mix of the two art forms.
“Although I have received awards for my work, I do not show my work to win,” Mr. Dawavendewa said in a prepared statement. “I show so that people can see, appreciate and understand my inner feelings as it pertains to my inner person as a Hopi.”
Entrance to the museum is included in admission so guests can explore the rich history of the archaeological site where ancestors of the O’Odham people built a thriving community. Prominent on the site is the va’aki, a large adobe structure that is the only one still standing and managed by Phoenix Arts and Culture.
