Mother's Day Sale at Indian Summer!

 

 

 

 

MOTHER'S DAY SALE!

20% off all orders totaling $100.00 or more!
This sale applies to ALL merchandise at
Indian Summer!

Sale starts today and ends at midnight,
May 10th!

Do your items total $95.00 or $98.00.....and you want to reach that $100.00 total?
Simply add one of our miniature handmade pueblo pottery dishes we offer @ $5.00 each
to your purchase
and you will hit that $100.00 mark!

Just enter the coupon code:

MOTHER13

in the coupon code box while checking out, using our secure online shopping cart, and
hit APPLY.....20% will automatically be deducted from your $100.00+ order...
That's a great savings!

We offer FREE SHIPPING,
along with prompt and courteous service!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Wes and Jill Holmes

An Afternoon with Mary Black and Family......

 

Mary Black...the adorable lady in purple in this photograph, was in Salt Lake City yesterday at the Museum of Natural History along with various members of her family, including her cute daughter Sally (in red).  Our wonderful museum had an on-going Basket Weaving Expo that had started back in January, and came to a close yesterday afternoon.  Mary, along with her son Andersen, daughters Lorraine, Sally, and Peggy were there for the final day sharing their basket weaving skills and techniques, along with their charming personalities, and fun stories about life on the Res. and how they came up with some of their unique ideas for their one of a kind creations!
 We first met Mary back in the late 70's when we went to her home to purchase some of her beautiful basketry. Her work  and her reputation have evolved over the years...and anyone who collects or appreciates Native American baskets would place her name right at the top of the list as one of the all time great basket weavers! We had a wonderful time chatting and catching up, and checking out their stunning baskets!  Wish I could have purchased every one of them!  My Navajo spelling is not the greatest...but I would like to say

" A-keh-hey"

Thank you.....to the Black family for their outstanding contribution to the art of
 traditional basket weaving!

 

 

Out of this World!

 

Our  fetish carvings at Indian Summer are

really out of this world!

 

We've been adding new carvings....

a few new Aliens that have migrated west from Roswell to Zuni!

 

Some of these fellows even come with their own spaceship backpacks!

These U.F.O.'s give new meaning to the phrase....we are calling them

"Unidentified Fetish Objects!"

 

Come check them out...because just as quickly as they appeared on our site...

~POOF~

They could disappear into the night skies.....never to be seen again!

 

 

Zuni Express......

I am craving some yummy food today...maybe it is the cold rain pouring down that has me craving some comfort food....or maybe it is just running across these photos a few minutes ago of some delicious food we had the last time we were down visiting at Zuni Pueblo...whatever it is, I am hungry!  Not just hungry for yummy food, but hungry to travel....would love to be down at Zuni today shopping for fetishes, pottery, jewelry and kachinas....then taking a break and heading over to our favorite spot for lunch...."Zuni Express"....It is not a fancy restaurant, in fact it is just a convenience store with a few tables to sit at and relax...but their food is scrumptious!  I always go for the Zuni Taco with red and green chile .....in New Mexico, this is called "Christmas" when you order it that way!  Wes likes the green chile smothered cheeseburger!  The gals who take your order are always fun to chat with and most accomodating! Wes and I love eating here and just taking a break from a hectic day of buying. I always say..."next time I am not going to order so much".....as I am always so full after a big Zuni taco!  I also say "next time I am not going to buy so much"....referring to all the fetishes and other artwork that we purchase.....but, I never take my own advice, and if I were able to head down to Zuni today, I would probably order a double Zuni taco and buy every single fetish or piece of pottery that I saw!  That's what make life fun!  Guess I will go and check out my kitchen cupboards and see if anything in them resembles one of these delicious dishes....I think I will probably have to settle for a granola bar...but maybe we have some green  and red chile I can put on top, and then it will at least be a "Christmas" granola bar!   Check out Zuni Express for a yummy bite to eat, next time you are visiting Zuni Pueblo...and tell them Jill sent you!!!!!

 

 

Room For One More?????

Prairie Dog Village by Zuni Fetish Carver

Fabian Tsethlikai....

Pipestone Prairie Dogs pop out of Picasso Marble mounds!

TOO CUTE!

I want to keep this for myself!  :)

Sometimes it is really hard for me to part with items I have

purchased to sell on our website.   I have learned over the past

39 years in this business that I can't keep everything ( I used to try!)

We have the greatest customers...so I always feel good about the new homes these little

critters are headed to!  This one hasn't sold....yet.....who knows, this might

be one of those pieces I just can't resist!  Better go see if I have room for one

more carving in our curio case!

 

75+ New Arrivals at Indian Summer......

The Early Bird Catches the Worm....
or the Snake!
We've just added over 75 new Fetish Carvings to Indian Summer!
(including the fun piece above!)

Start your week out with a NEW FETISH CARVING from Indian Summer!
We promise you, it will make your Monday seem a whole lot brighter.....
and with our FREE SHIPPING, you can look forward to receiving it promptly!

Be the early bird that catches one of our latest fetish carvings...before the one you want slips away!
We also have a great selection of beadwork, jewelry, baskets, pottery, and kachinas to choose from!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Wes and Jill Holmes

Lizard Love....

~ Leapin' Lizards! ~

 

Come take a look at some of the cool lizards...and other reptile carvings we've just added to our website:

Indian Summer!

 

Pipestone Armored Lizard by Karen Zunie

 

Turquoise Rattlesnake by Farlan and Paulette Quam

 

Picasso Marble Fanned Lizard by Alvin Haloo

 

  Looking forward to having you drop on by! You will love our lizards!

 

That Old Travel Bug.....

 

 

El Morro National Monument
New Mexico

 

 

The Painted Desert ~ Arizona

 

 

Capital Reef ~ Southern Utah

 

I've got that old "Travel Bug" again!  I get it quite often...especially in the Spring, after a long winter....I am ready to hit the road!  Would love to go to any of the destinations above...these are pictures I have taken, when we have been there in the past!  The photos are beautiful...if I say so myself....but the actual destinations are simply breathtaking! 

Hope I find a cure for my travel bug  soon! 

 

Happy Trails!

 

Happy April Fool's Day!

 

 

 

 

~HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!~
The coyote was up to his tricks more than usual today!  He is always full of laughter, humor, and foolishness!  He is known as the "Master Trickster" who tricks even himself!!!!

 

Hope your day was full of more treats than tricks!!!!!! Wow...Now that sounds like it is Halloween! ~Lol~

 

 



Happy Easter!

 

 

 

Here comes Peter Cottontail hoppin' down the bunny trail.....

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter! 

 

 

 

Lots of New Carvings and Baskets at Indian Summer!

 

 

~New Baskets and Fetish Carvings~

Drop in and visit us at Indian Summer and check out our
NEW ARRIVALS!

New Hopi, Navajo, and Apache Baskets!

40+ New Fetish Carvings!

~FREE SHIPPING ON ALL PURCHASES!~

We hope to hear from you soon.....

Wishing you a Happy Easter!


Wes and Jill
www.indiansummer.com


First Day of Spring....March 20th!

 

 

Tomorrow, March 20th is officially The First Day of Spring!  We have had a very long, and hard winter in Utah...we have long been anticipating Spring's arrival!

Rejoice as the world around you awakens refreshed and anew!

 

 

 

A Few Changes to our Home Page......

We've made some updates and changes to our Indian Summer Native American Art Home Page! We finally swapped out Abby Quam's orange Slag Glass Wolf (which we loved!) for Andres Quandelacy's fabulous Turquoise and Coral Bison...which we also love! :) Rearranged a few of our pages and tried to make navigating through our website an easy task for everyone! Hope you will check us out!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND FUN FILLED ST. PATRICK'S DAY!  WEAR YOUR GREEN, AND TOAST THE DAY WITH YOUR FAVORITE SPIRITS!  'TIS A DAY FOR A WEE BIT OF CELEBRATION!

Native American Full Moons....2013

Do you love gazing at the moon?  I know that I do....I love watching it rise in the east each night over our majestic mountains.  I have always been fascinated with the different phases of the moon and how it affects the ocean tides.  I love watching the changes in the moon over the month, watching it go from just a sliver to a brilliant full moon in just a matter of days!  It is always a mystery to me why I see the moon some days in the middle of the day, high in the sky competing with the sun....other days, the moon is low on the western horizon very early in the evening, and doesn't appear to make it through the night!  Oh, it is fascinating!  The various Native American cultures have always been fascinated by the moon as well.  Many have Dieties or Gods that represent the "moon".  Ceremonies and dances are performed at important cycles of the moon, and they also have names for the full moon of each month of the year! Listed below are some of the names the moon is referred to in the Native American culture, and the date in 2013, when these moons will appear in "Father Sky".  They are magical and mystical names and can conjur up wonderful images and thoughts, just by the mere mention of them!  I hope you enjoy the list of full moons and their Native American names as much I do!   Enjoy...and let your imagination run wild!

 

Full Moons 2013

 

Wolf Moon ~ January 26th

 

Snow Moon ~ February 25th

 

Worm Moon ~ March 27th

 

The Pink Moon ~ April 25th

 

Corn Planting Moon ~ May 25th

 

Strawberry Moon ~ June 23rd

Thunder Moon ~ July 22nd

 

Green Corn Moon ~ August 20th

 

The Harvest Moon ~ September 19th

 

Hunter's Moon ~ October 18th

 

Frost Moon ~ November 17th

 

Long Night's Moon ~ December 17th

   



Indian Summer March Sale!

 

 

~Hop on over to Indian Summer for March savings!~

All merchandise at Indian Summer is currently 20% off with an order totalling $100.00 or more!
That's a great savings!
Plus you get FREE SHPPING, and our fast, friendly, and courteous service!

Check out our "NEW ARRIVALS!"

Just enter the coupon code "MARCH" while checking out using our secure online shopping cart, hit "APPLY"
and you will automatically receive this discount!

Want something that's $98.00 and you don't want to miss out on that 20% savings? Simply add one of our handmade miniature pueblo pottery dishes for $5.00 to your order, and you will hit that $100.00 mark!

This sale will end on Saturday March 9th at midnight!
(all prior coupon codes you may have are not valid on this sale.....limited to "MARCH" coupon code only.....
you are welcome to use your other coupon codes on future purchases)

Here at Indian Summer, we are looking forward to Spring , and looking forward to hearing from you!
This is a great opportunity to pick up any of our merchandise at a great savings!

Thank you!
HAPPY MARCH ~ HAPPY SPRING!

                 Wes and Jill Holmes

Spring is on the Way!

  

 

We still have 2 feet of snow on the ground in some places....but it feels like Spring is on the way! The Spring dances have begun at the Pueblos....Dances for gentle rains and Spring flowers....the mere thought of these processions conjurs up magical and mystical images!

Happy "almost Spring!"
  

 

 

Native American Blessing.....

With March blowing in tomorrow, and March being known as the windy month, I thought this blessing was appropriate....plus I really like it!  May your winds be gentle, and may you all be blessed as our Spring approaches.....

Fancy Turtles.....

We are offering some unusual Ironwood turtles at Indian Summer! They are simply elegant! Intricate channel inlay in gorgeous stones and shell and silver are set on the backs of these powerful gliding sea tortoises by famous Zuni jewelers Elcario and Cleo Kallestewa! It is a unique and exciting addition to the world of fetishes! If you like them....better get one quick.... I am so impressed with them....I might just end up keeping one (or two!) ~LOL~ What else is new????

New Mexico Native American Events for March

Native American
Dances/ Feasts/ Markets

MARCH Mar. 19
St. Joseph's Feast Day. Harvest and other dances at the Laguna Pueblo. For information:
(505) 552-6654. March 29 - 31
Easter Weekend celebrations at most pueblos. Easter Sunday. Bow and Arrow Dance after Mass at Nambe Pueblo. For information:
(505) 455-2036. Easter Sunday and Monday. Various dances at Zia Pueblo. For information:
(505) 867-3304. Easter Sunday and Monday. Various dances at San Ildefonso Pueblo. For information:
(505) 455-3549.

Some History on Zuni Fetishes......

 

A little history about Zuni Fetishes you may find interesting.

Zuni Fetishes were thought to be so powerful by the U.S. Government that in the late 1800's Frank Hamilton Cushing was sent out to the Zuni Reservation to live among the Zuni people and investigate and study the mysterious power of the Zuni Fetishes. His task was to see if they were a possible threat to the U.S. Government and the country. His research & findings along with primitave drawings of fetish carvings can be found in what is now published as a book entitled "Zuni Fetishes" by Frank Hamilton Cushing. Another little tidbit on fetish carvings you may not be aware of, is the fact that they are believed to be so powerful and beneficial to your well being, that a Directional Fetish Carving set carved by Navajo Fetish carver Roy Davis and his brothers Herbert and Jeff, was sent into space aboard the space shuttle "Endeavor" in 1994. Many people are of the belief that the Zuni Fetishes are a new or fairly recent art form as they have evolved into such realistic and detailed carvings. Zuni Fetishes were first used as early as 650 A.D. The fetishes that have been in Zuni tribal possesion or in individual possesion for centuries are considered to be the most holy and powerful fetishes as well as the more valuable fetishes. Although many southwest tribes carve fetishes, the Zuni Fetish carvers are generally acknowledged as doing the finest work among all of the tribes. Navajos will barter for Zuni Fetishes of sheep, cattle or goats to help keep their herds and flocks healthy and ensure propagation. The worship of animals is looked upon by the Zuni people as a way to relate and connect to the higher more mysterious and remote powers. The Zuni fetishes are carved to represent the animals which the Zuni people feel are the "mediators" between themselves and a higher power. Power of the Fetishes: The Zuni people feel that the power of the Zuni fetish lies within the heart of the Zuni Fetish, much like the power of the animal the fetish represents. It is believed that the hearts of the great animals of prey are infused with a spirit or medicine of magic influence over the hearts of the animals they prey upon. The "breath of life" derived from their hearts whether near or far never fails to overcome a game animal. The breath of the powerful prey animal overcomes the weaker animal, piercing it's heart and causing it's limbs to stiffen and the animal itself will lose it's strength. The roar or cry of the beast of prey is fatal to the game animals which hear the cry. It charms their senses as does the breath of their hearts. Since the mountain lion lives by the blood or "life fluid" and flesh of the game animals, and by these alone, he is endowed not only with the above powers, but also with peculiar powers in the sense of sight and smell. Moreover, these powers as derived from his heart, are preserved in his fetish, since his heart still lives, even though his person has been changed to stone. (Frank Hamilton Cushing Findings) Zuni Fetish carvings need to be fed! Make certain that you have fresh cornmeal available at all times for your Zuni fetish to feed on! If you display your Zuni fetishes in a case, leave small amounts of cornmeal scattered throughout the case for your collection to feed upon. If you carry a Zuni fetish with you in a pouch or pocket, be sure to sprinkle some cornmeal in the pouch or pocket along with the Zuni fetish! The better you treat your Zuni fetish carving, the more it will do in return for you! There is a lot of controversy over Zuni Fetishes vs. Navajo Fetish carvings or Zuni Fetishes vs. fetish carvings from a pueblo other than Zuni. We want people to be aware of the fact that in the 1970's and early eighties when the real trend towards Native American art was reaching it's height, very few Zuni carvers were actively carving. Most of the fetishes being carved at Zuni during this time were remaining in the village for personal use among the Zuni people. Mainly the Navajo were carving the fetishes that were sold in galleries during this time period when Native American art was really becoming mainstream. Many people feel that the Navajo have copied this art form, by carving the fetishes, when in actuality, it was their carvings during this time period that kept the interest in Zuni Fetishes alive and helped bring about the revival of the Zuni Fetish carvings at Zuni in the early eighties. If you purchased a fetish carving in the 70's anywhere other than at Zuni Pueblo, directly from the carver... there is a good chance that it was Navajo carved. Excellent Navajo carvers including the Davis brothers, the Livingston's, David Yazzie and Julia Norton were producing a great number of the fetish carvings during this time. They still continue to produce quality carvings along with the 600+ Zuni Fetish carvers of today. These Navajo Fetish carvers deserve a great deal of appreciation for keeping the spirit of the Zuni Fetishes alive!

Happy Ground Hog Day...

On this February 2nd, 2013,
the One Hundred and Twenty Seventh Annual Trek of the
Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob….

Punxsutawney Phil, the King of the Groundhogs,
Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators,
Weather Prophet without Peer,
was awakened from his borrow at 7:28 am
with a tap of the President’s cane.

Phil and President Deeley conversed in Groundhogese
and Phil directed him to the chosen Prognostication scroll.

The President tapped the chosen scroll and
directed Phil’s Prediction be proclaimed:

My new Knob entrance is a sight to behold
Like my faithful followers, strong and bold

And so ye faithful,
there is no shadow to see
An early Spring for you and me.

Hope old Phil is right!  We could certainly use an early Spring here in Utah! 
Happy Ground Hog Day to all!

 

 



It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

Hot Tub/ Sun Room with Celestial Tree and garland....Large Paiute basket with garland...Hot tub room with beaded gold pillows.....Living room tree with all handmade Native American ornaments!

Dining room mantel with chiles and pines....Stained glass church in an upstairs bathroom.....Top stair railing with berries....Pottery with poinsettias.....

Tree in Phyllis and Ellie's room with precious photos of their late dog Dino....a small kitchen tree towers over a Christmas adobe house lantern....Dining room black and red tree, and elves and poinsettia.....

My tree in my office with handpainted Laguna Pueblo ornaments....small tree in library sitting area....church in entranceway....Nature tree in den !

Phyllis and Ellie's white tree with gold and rust ornaments in their living room...Deer in our entrance way....Holiday village in the girl's room....our tree in the dining room.

Lights on balcony outside and around door..... Silver tree and deer in one of our bathrooms....lights on the side of our house on the bushes.

 

Christmas stockings in my office that my late mom made many years ago....Nativity scene my mom made comes out every year....A crystal pink tree in our antique room...and a tabletop tree on a vintage bar in Wes's office!

 

Well, I think we are as decorated as we are going to get this year!  It's a lot of work, but I do enjoy it once it is up!  Wishing you all a joyous holiday season!  Hope you enjoyed seeing our decorations!

Jill

 

Enchanted New Mexico.....

Just got back from a buying trip to New Mexico......there is no place as enchanting in Autumn, as the "Land of Enchantment".....the skies are the deepest blue.....the cottonwoods the most brilliant shades of yellows and golds....and the chile ristras are the deepest most gloriest shades of reds and oranges! It is truly a magical and mystical land.  We had a most wonderful visit, and brought back many treasures we will soon be posting on our website www.indiansummer.com  Check in on us from time to time over the next few weeks and take a peek at our new postings....we are sure you will find yourself enchanted as well!