Riel Benn

 

 

Benn, a member of the Birdtail Sioux community of Canada, began painting in 1996 and has made approximately 1000 paintings, including his well known "Magazine Series". This 1998 painting places Medicine Crow (warrior and grandfather to Joseph Medicine Crow) on the cover of Vanity Fair. The postcard was used to promote a traveling exhibition in Saskatchewan and was issued by the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

Santa Clara

Santa Clara is a New Mexico Pueblo community. The Rainbow Dance is performed in the Summer/Fall in an effort to draw rain to the community. This community is also well known for its black pottery.

This card was produced in New Mexico.

Maya of Belize

 A very dear friend got married in Summer 2021 and went to Belize on honeymoon. She kindly bought some Maya cards including these:

The Sky Palace at Caracol, a political center during the Classic Period.The site was rediscovered in the 1930s, excavated and restored. This is the largest building at the site and the largest in Belize today.

 

The site of Lamanai was occupied for a longer period of time and was known in Spanish times. This card shows a temple that was built approximately 200 BC, with limestone masks added 600 year later. This mask appears to have Olmec features and the temple contains the remains of a man buried with jade & shells.

Saxman Totem Park

 A multi-view tourist card featuring wood art from Ketchikan, Alaska. The park contains many old poles moved from their original, but now unoccupied, village sites in the area as well as a few carved in the 1930s.

Ione Yellowjohn

A Postcrosser sent an envelope with assorted cards including vintage ones of Navajos as well as this card from Idaho. It may have been sold near Ft Hall, a historic fur trade post site built in the 1830s on the Snake River. It is within the boundary of the Ft Hall Indian Reservation, home to Shoshone and Bannock peoples.

SGang Gwaay

 

This lovely card celebrates a UNESCO World Heritage site in Canada, a Haida village site in British Columbia. It was issued by Canadian Post in 2014, pre-stamped, and sent in trade in August 2021.

The site includes a large number of carved cedar poles commemorating individuals and families. As a result of contact the Haida suffered population loss due to epidemics and the survivors moved in the ate 1800s. Traditions include allowing the poles to naturally decline (a process that may take 100 years); many poles were taken by collectors and kept in permanent condition in museums in opposition to Native wishes.

Our Family

 

This wonderful card came from a Canadian Postcrosser, sent in August 2021. It features art by Beau Dick, a member of the Kwakwaka'wakw, a Northwest coastal tribe. The text states:

"We believe the creatures of the animal kingdom to be our bretheren because in ancient times our two spirits were connected."

The card is sold by NativeNorthwest.com in Vancouver

Kitanemuk Basket

I made a buy of 100 cards from a dealer on Ebay in 2021. This card may have been produced to sell at the Lowie Museum as it features a basket from their collection.

The Kitanemuk lived in California's western Mohave desert. They became part of Spain's mission system, were impacted by diseases, and remnant populations were placed on various reservations. Today they are part of the Tejon Indian Tribe.

Because I purchased this quantity for a reasonable price I have been giving them away to Postcrossing members in the US and Canada; see my post in the North American Forum.