Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Where: S’edav Va’aki Museum, 4619 E. Washington St., Phoenix
Cost: $5 per person
More Information: Call 602-534-2430 or visit pueblogrande.com
Special to Independent Newsmedia
The 46th Annual S’edav Va’aki Museum Indian Market (formerly known as Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market) is coming up in December.
According to a press release, the Indian Market features more than 110 Native American artists vending fine art, crafts and cultural items, as well as main stage performances, cultural demonstrator area and food sales.
It all takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both on Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10 at 4619 E. Washington St., in Phoenix, at the southeast corner of 44th and Washington streets.
Performers on the main stage include:
Gabriel Ayala (Yaqui), renowned composer and guitar player
Tony Duncan (Apache, Arikara and Hidatsa), world champion hoop dancer and Native American flute player
Violet Duncan (Kehewin Cree), internationally recognized dancer and storyteller
Chi Chino Spirit O’Odham Dance Group, traditional song and dance of the Akimel O’Odham (Pima Tribe) from Gila River Indian Community
One Way Sky, an indie rock band also from the Gila River Indian Community
Cultural demonstrators in the Ki:him (O’odham word for village) area provide hands-on learning in hoop dancing, beading, gourd art, shell etching, mask making and other activities for all ages.
Martha Ludlow-Martinez, a singer and storyteller from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, is the main stage emcee.
At the Indian Market, guests can enjoy popular Native American foods including fry bread and Navajo tacos from vendors like Tammy & Chris’s Frybread, Skoden Coffee, The REZ an Urban Eatery and Sunny Concessions.
This year’s featured artist for the market is Kevin Horace-Quannie (Hopi, Navajo) who specializes in carved kachina dolls (some of which have been transformed into bronze sculptures) and abstract sand-textured paintings. A member of the Water, Corn and Salt Clans from the Hopi and Navajo Communities, Quannie began his artistic journey carving kachinas during his career as a tribal ranger.
“Though our name may be different, we are confident that our renewed dedication to educating Arizonans on the history of the land will shine through this year’s market,” Nicole Armstrong-Best, museum administrator, stated. “This event is not just for Native Americans in the community. We challenge all Arizonans to come explore this hands-on learning experience to celebrate the land’s ancestral roots.”
Entrance to the museum is included with the market’s $5 admission for guests to explore the rich history of the Va’aki, the large mound on site where ancestors of the O’Odham and Piipaash peoples built their community. The museum was renamed from Pueblo Grande Museum in March to better honor the Native American connection to the S’edav Va’aki.
All items sold at the Indian Market comply with The Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA) of 1990 and are authentic and handmade.
The Indian Market is free to Indigenous people, active and retired military personnel, S’edav Va’aki Museum Foundation members, children ages 12 and younger, and both police and fire personnel.
The Indian Market is made possible through the generosity of Casino Arizona, Arizona Humanities, Arizona Commission on the Arts, and Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.