Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
The S’edav Va’aki Museum will host its 49th Annual Indian Market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, and Sunday, Dec. 13, at the museum, 4619 E. Washington St., offering visitors an opportunity to experience Indigenous arts, culture and traditions firsthand
Held outdoors on the museum campus, the event will feature dozens of Native American artists selling authentic handmade artwork, crafts and cultural items. All items offered for sale comply with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.
“For nearly five decades, the Indian Market has united artists, performers and community members to celebrate the richness and diversity of Indigenous cultures,” said Nicole Armstrong-Best, museum administrator for S’edav Va’aki Museum. “We are honored to create a space where we can host living traditions and shared cultural experiences through the representation of Native artists and share these sacred moments with members of the community.”
The event will include live entertainment throughout the weekend, featuring performances by:
- •Gabriel Ayala (Yaqui), composer and guitarist.
- •Tony Duncan (Apache, Arikara and Hidatsa), world champion hoop dancer and Native American flute player.
- •Violet Duncan (Kehewin Cree), dancer and storyteller.
- •Gertrude Lopez and the T.O. Boyz (Tohono O’odham Waila Band).
- •Pee-Posh Bird Dancers and Singers from the Gila River Indian Community.
Visitors can also participate in hands-on cultural demonstrations in the Ki:him village area, including hoop dancing, beading, gourd art, shell etching, mask making, basket making and weaving activities designed for all ages.
Food vendors will offer traditional Indigenous fare, including fry bread, Navajo tacos and vegan options from Tammy & Chris’s Frybread, The REZ: an Urban Eatery and Sunny Concessions.
This year’s featured artist is Antoinette Avis Pinon (Pii-posh), a master potter whose work reflects generations of Pee-Posh artistic traditions. Ms. Pinon learned pottery techniques from her mother and grandmother and continues to create pieces using traditional methods, including hand-harvested clay, natural pigments and hand-firing techniques.
Admission to the Indian Market includes access to the museum and archaeological site, where visitors can explore the history of the ancestral O’odham community that once flourished there. The site includes the va’aki, a large adobe structure that remains the only one of its kind standing in Phoenix and is managed by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to purchase tickets for “Harmony,” the museum’s upcoming culinary fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, April 3, 2027.
