German Silver Jewelry of the Southern Plains Indians
Water Is Life
Errata
LETTERS TO FAAM
German Silver Jewelry of the Southern Plains Indians
HAPPILY , I RECEIVED a new subscription to your magazine . The German silver article is my particular interest , as I have been working with the material recently .
I thought your readers would appreciate historic information in a book , The Kiowas , by Mildred P . Mayhall from 1962 . Her book includes a compilation / composite of what are known as the Sett ’ an and calendars ( notations of striking events ). The entry for summer 1866 follows :
The Flat Metal ( or German Silver ) Sun Dance was held on Medicine Lodge Creek near its mouth in Oklahoma . A trader brought the Kiowas a large amount of flat sheets of German silver which they hammered into belts and ornaments . The pictograph shows a medicine lodge and a strip of hide covered with silver disks finished with a tuft of horsehair . … They obtained some genuine silver disks in the old days from Mexican silversmiths near present Silver City , New Mexico , and also used silver dollars . Charles W . Whitacre brought the German silver to the Kiowas . He was known as “ Tsoli ” ( Charley ). For years he had a trading store near the present agency at Anadarko , until he died accidentally in 1882 .
Robert Blanchett Santa Fe , NM
Thanks for calling our attention to Mildred P . Mayhall ’ s book , The Kiowas , and the passage related to the trade of materials and the production of German silver jewelry . We are always happy to receive letters that convey an article not only of interest to readers but also related to their own area of study . German silver is an important Native American art form that deserves additional research and attention .
— Denise Neil-Binion
Water Is Life
IN YOUR MOST RECENT “ Editor ’ s Greetings ” column ( No . 13 , Winter 2016 / 17 ), you described your hope that both a non-Native arts professional and a tribal member who is not a participant in the art world would find value in your lovely journal . I am happy to report that , although I am neither an arts professional nor a tribal member , I truly appreciate your writing and your presentations of tribal artists . I am a wholly nonartistic , East Coast suburbanite , and I eagerly await each issue of FAAM and the worlds your staff shares with me .
The nonviolent protests by the water protectors at Standing Rock ( and by their surrogates at events around the country ) captured the attention of so many concerned people from all walks of life . It was nice that you made a timely inclusion of works by a few different artists to show a variety of artistic approaches to the situation . I do hope to see more work from Starr Hardridge ( Muscogee Creek ), whose intense Severed Black Snake is chilling . In the same issue , I also enjoyed Kevin Simpson ’ s biographical article about the weavers in Oaxaca . I like that he and the artists were willing to share the details of the artists ’ personal and family lives to illustrate the artistic process .
Please keep up the good work . Besides the writing and the selection of artists , the quality of your magazine is top-notch : the paper stock , the layout , the crispness of colors , and graphics . I enjoy every issue ! Cindy Bortman Winchester , MA
Thank you so much , Cindy ! It ’ s wonderful to hear that our content is appreciated by readers who don ’ t already have a background in Native American arts . The art and discussion in the Native art world addresses subjects that affect us all . Indigenous perspectives have much to contribute to understanding today ’ s world and humanity ’ s future course , so it ’ s heartening to hear that the material resonates with you . Starr Hardridge lives in Connecticut , so hopefully you will get to encounter his work in person soon . Thank you for your support ! — America Meredith
We welcome your letters to the editor ! If we print your letter , we will send you a free copy of that issue of the magazine . Please email your letters to us at :
info @ firstamericanartmagazine . com
or mail letters to : First American Art Magazine , Attention : Editor 133 24th Avenue NW # 126 Norman , OK 73069
Errata
IN FAAM ISSUE NO . 14 , SPRING 2017 , in Teri Rofkar ’ s memorial on page 89 , we mistakenly listed her date of death as December 12 , 2016 . The Tlingit textile artist passed on December 2 , 2016 .
SUMMER 2017 | 9