Navajo arts and crafts

Some great places to find genuine Native American jewelry and other products on your next road trip.
By Carrie Patrick

Subheads:
Roadside stands
Trading posts
Off the beaten path
Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise

The Navajo Nation is a state within a state-more accurately, within four states. Most of this 27,000-square-mile reservation is in northeast Arizona, but it also extends into Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. That makes it a popular road trip for Coloradans who want to visit any of the Navajo Nation's attractions, which include some of the best and most famous scenery of the American Southwest.

The arts and crafts of the Navajo (who call themselves Diné in their own language-"Navajo" is a Spanish word) are as famous as the sweeping landscapes they inhabit. The nation is best known in the art world for jewelry and weaving, but also produces some pottery, and ceremonial items such as sandpaintings and woven wedding baskets are sought after too. Here's a look at four different ways to find genuine Navajo arts and crafts for any taste and budget.

Roadside stands

You know that incredible, highly-polished necklace or heavily carved silver ring that you saw on black velvet in a high-end jeweler's display case in Phoenix or Scottsdale? The one you wished you could buy, if only you could spare a few hundred dollars? There's a very good chance that the guy who made it is standing behind a trestle table on a dusty roadside near Monument Valley or Canyon de Chelly right now, selling the same items for $40.

Roadside stands are simply the best way to buy Navajo products direct from the artist-bar none. Travelers who blow straight past the little clusters of tables found near any major attraction in the Navajo Nation, under the mistaken impression that "roadside stand" is synonymous with "tourist junk", may be missing some incredible bargains on top-quality work.

At a table under a shady tree in Canyon de Chelly, I saw a grown woman nearly cry when she realized the little hand-written price tag on a stunning contemporary jewelry set was not missing a zero. The necklace looked like it should cost $100 at least. "Thirty-five dollars? Really?"

No, the artist corrected patiently. Thirty-five dollars for the necklace and the earrings and the bracelet. Total.

Some people avoid roadside stands because they're afraid they will be ripped off. In reality, the biggest danger is that you'll leave wracked with guilt, feeling as if you just ripped somebody off.

And don't go thinking that buying from a roadside stand means you don't get the same after-sales service found in a jeweler's store. I bought a lovely hematite necklace from a stand, and was presented with a business card including the artist's email and a mailing address so I could send her the necklace if it ever needed to be adjusted or fixed. All this for the price of a couple of large coffees. Now, that's customer service.

Trading posts

A visit to one of the historic trading posts scattered across the Southwest is a combination of shopping trip and museum experience. If you're lucky, you could also throw "art exhibition" or even "dance performance" into the mix. Here, the past and present of the local people converge like the trade routes of their ancestors.

While the "trading post" moniker is also found on modern souvenir shops and small-town convenience stores, the historic ones are fairly easy to spot. Many have changed little, inside and out, since the 19th century. In Ganado, Ariz. (60 miles east of Gallup, N.M.), visit the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site. It's the oldest continually operating trading post in the American Southwest, dating back to 1878, and local Navajo still shop here for their daily needs. Rugs, baskets and jewelry are sold in the original building, just as in the days when the Hubbell family ran the post. 928-755-3475, http://www.nps.gov/hutr.

One mile north of the Grand Canyon turn-off, Cameron Trading Post in Cameron, Ariz. is a highly worthwhile stop. In addition to its AAA-rated Grand Canyon Hotel and RV park, the complex houses an outstanding Native American art gallery, separate from the main trading post. Both antique and contemporary work is sold, including jewelry and pottery from Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo and other tribes. The Rug Room offers one of the country's largest selections of Navajo rugs. http://www.camerontradingpost.com

Another great place to stop for Navajo rugs is the Toadlena Trading Post, one hour's drive north of Gallup, N.M.. This trading post celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2009, and its focus is on the art of Navajo weaving and tapestry. The building includes a Weaving Museum, but its role as the active center of trade life for local weavers proves that Toadlena is far from being just an historic attraction. For rug enthusiasts, this is the place to visit. A premium Two Grey Hills rug (the style is named after a nearby town) can take more than a year to weave, and some sell for five figures. Most are around $2,000 to $5,000, though small woven pieces are available under $200. As with anything that's the best of its kind, you get what you pay for-but even if you're not a buyer, a visit to the trading post is intriguing. 888-420-0005, http://www.toadlenatradingpost.com

Off the beaten path

Small towns can provide some surprising finds for those who are willing to take a detour from the standard big attractions. The village of Shonto, Ariz. is a good example. Located about halfway between Tuba City and Kayenta, most tourists pass it by on the way to Monument Valley. But in addition to the scenery of little-visited Shonto Canyon, the area boasts several highly-regarded artists and a fascinating chance to experience modern Navajo life.

While pottery has never been a major trade product for the Navajo as it was for many other tribes, the Shonto/Cow Springs area is where this craft was most often practiced. This was largely due to the influence of a trader at Shonto Trading Post, who encouraged the revival of local pottery-making during the 1950s. A large percentage of Navajo potters today either come from here, trained here or have family ties to Shonto.

Traditional Navajo pottery is very different from the patterned Pueblo or Hopi styles that may be more familiar to some people. Its distinguishing feature is a glaze made from melted piñon pitch, which is often its only decoration. This glaze makes the item waterproof and suitable for cooking. Artists such as Rose Williams and her daughter Alice Williams Cling, from Cow Springs near Shonto, produce elegant pieces with deep, glossy brown-and-black colors beneath the pitch glaze.

Elizabeth Whitethorne-Benally, who lives in Shonto, is primarily a painter but also creates sculpture and furniture. She works in a contemporary folk-art style. Three previous generations of her family were weavers. Has she ever considered following in their footsteps? "I wove one rug," she says with a smile. "When I was 13 and patient."

The small trading post has a room of locally produced arts and crafts of all types. It will take time and effort for Shonto to become a well-known destination, but in some ways, now is the ideal time to visit: there's enough basic infrastructure for convenience, but not yet any sense of commercialization or a tourist industry. If you want to spend time in a real Navajo rural community-not some big-city public relations company's idea of one-Shonto is an excellent choice. Locals are genuinely glad to welcome visitors. Some day you'll be able to tell people, "I visited Shonto before everyone knew about it."

Another spot to watch in future is the Historic Bitahochee Trading Post near Indian Wells, Ariz. This 1870 stage coach station was once the gateway to the Navajo Nation, a major meeting place and trading post. During World War II, the Navajo Code Talkers were sworn in here. Today, it's a ruin-but one that is struggling to rise again as a proposed cultural and artistic center, largely through the vision of one man, Redwing Nez. The ruined trading post and hogan are slowly being restored; the graffiti-covered tin woolshed will become an artists' studio. Bitahochee is still very much a work in progress, but exhibitions and events are held there from time to time, and interested visitors are welcome. http://www.bitahochee.blogspot.com

Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise (NACE)

NACE is one of the best bets for travelers who want genuine, top-quality Navajo products while knowing most of the purchase price will end up back in the hands of the artist. It's the next best thing to buying direct.

With four locations in Arizona and one in New Mexico, this company is the only retailer of Navajo arts and crafts that is wholly owned by the Navajo Nation. It has represented Navajo artists since 1941 and is run as a non-profit organization. The stores offer traditional and contemporary-styled jewelry, pottery, rugs and many other items. All are local, hand-made and one of a kind, with prices ranging from dirt-cheap to astronomical. It's easy to find something good no matter what your budget.

NACE also acts as a distributor of raw materials to local artisans, and many of these items are also available for sale to the public-a member of my group couldn't resist the vibrantly-colored hanks of hand-carded, hand-dyed wool at the store in Kayenta, Arizona. "I don't know what I'll knit with it," she declared, "but it'll be something special."

The company offers repair and restoration services, and can also work with the artists they represent to create a custom order to your own design. Stores are located in Cameron, Chinle, Kayenta and Window Rock, Ariz., in Alamo, N.M., and online at http://www.gonavajo.com.

If you go

For more information about visiting the Navajo Nation, contact the Navajo Tourism Department, 928-810-8501 or http://www.discovernavajo.com.

AAA's full-service travel agency can assist with information, route maps and bookings for your trip.

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