Cherokee baskets

Santa brought a set of tourist postcards showing the Eastern Cherokee in North Carolina. The photos are old, probably 1960s, but reproduced. Tourists can visit Oconaluftee, a re-enactment site where artists demonstrate traditional crafts etc. Like any tourist attraction it is likely pretty silly in places, but it may also inspire & educate kids. And there are genuine artists employed at such places....Southeastern native women have been making baskets for thousands of years but modern containers have made them art instead of utilitarian craft. Santa kindly brought me a basket as well, made by a Cherokee artist in Oklahoma. Thanks Mr Claus!!

Quimbaya

A wonderful card came today from friends in England...

A female gold figurine made by the Quimbaya civilization of Columbia, South America (approximately 600AD). Card text indicates this figurine is hollow and may have been used to hold lime (added to coca leaves). These objects were placed in burials and survived the Spanish treasure hunts. How this little object reached the British Museum is unknown. A fantastic addition to my South American indigenous cards!!

Choctaw house

A nifty card just arrived from Oklahoma, featuring a red clay mud & pole house with thatch roof, found in the southeast before Choctaws were relocated to Oklahoma in the 1830s. My friend works with tribes coordinating transportation issues such as road construction and found this card while attending a meeting with the tribe located in Durant. Very nice!!

Alert Bay Memorial Pole

A Canadian friend who is an archaeologist sent a card from British Columbia earlier this summer. She visited Quadra Island's cultural center and saw many lovely masks, rattles and ceremonial items that had been returned to the tribe.
This card shows a carved & painted memorial pole with an interesting history: "This pole in Alert Bay cemetery was commissioned by Mrs Tom Patch for her memorial. Unsatisfied with teht size of the figure's hat she refused to pay for it, and it was abandoned on the beach. Years later some locals raised it at her grave and eventually friends put a tire around the carved hat, enlargening it in accordance with her original wishes."

Chichen Itza, Mexico

a nice swap via the Postcrossing forum nets me this nifty card sent by folks on vacation in Mexico! Its a fun site to visit...a friend also just visited and swam in the cenote but reports nobody is allowed to climb the stairs to the top of the main pyramid now. Too bad as its a wonderful view from up there!

2015 Sovereignty Symposium

friends in Oklahoma recently attended a conference discussing various aspects of Native American tribal sovereignty...issues included language preservation, gaming, justice, education, and resource management. A friend sent this wonderful postcard featuring the conference design, thanks RSF!!

NM turquoise

my pen pal Gary in Oklahoma took a nice trip west to New Mexico and shopped at the Laguna Pueblo. Gary and I both love old fashion tourist stuff and a driving trip out west is a great way to experience that even today! He sends a fun card that features some nice old jewelry (look for this is pawn shops but be prepared to pay high dollar).