Another Santa Fe Indian Market is in the books. There were about 1,000 artists from more than 200 tribes offering their wares at booths in and around the downtown plaza.
Diné artist Sarah Aragorn traveled to Santa Fe from Indian Wells, Arizona. She’s been showing her jewelry at the market for many years but had taken the past several years off until beginning a new project in January.
She said that while she typically makes a lot of turquoise bracelets and pendants, she was inspired this year to honor horses, who have played a daily role in her life since childhood.
She created a decorative headstall, which is part of a horse’s bridle, called “Back in the Saddle.”
In an interview near her booth, Sarah Aragorn explains why she was compelled to make the piece.
“Having horses in the Navajo tradition is—they mean so much to us," said Aragorn.
"There's horse songs. There's stories. There's prayers. It gets emotional when you're talking about them, because they've helped us in so many ways, and they've been in my family for generations.”
Aragorn won a Best in Classification award for her headstall.
Another artist—Merlin Little Thunder—won, among other honors, The Native American Art Magazine Award of Excellence this year.
He’s a Southern Cheyenne painter living in Tulsa, OK, and has been coming to the market for more than 30 years.
Merlin Little Thunder is such a sought-after artist that he sold out of all of his work by 11 a.m. on the first day of the market.
He makes highly intricate paintings, some very small in what he called a narrative, representational style that focus on his culture and heritage.
In an interview at his booth, Merlin Little Thunder explains why he feels the market is so important.
“Santa Fe Indian Market is a career maker. A lot of artists, we bullseye this market," said Little Thunder.
"If we lost this market right here, it would be very, very difficult for a lot of artists to establish their identity and to show their work. It has to continue on and it has to thrive.”
The 102nd Indian Market also featured a film festival and fashion show.
