Horse Hair Pottery
Legend holds that horsehair pottery was discovered by a pueblo potter whose long hair blew against a piece of pottery she was removing from a hot kiln, stuck, and carbonized. The result was so interesting that she duplicated it with hair from a horse’s... Read moreKnowing Your Gemstones and Cabochons is Important When Selecting and Purchasing Native American Jewelry
At Palms Trading Company of Albuquerque, we understand stones. Whether the jewelry contains semi-precious or precious, faceted or cabochon gemstones, we know what we are looking for when selecting Native American jewelry. Types of Gemstones and Cabochons Here are some... Read more
Artist Spotlight: Jeanette Calabaza
Santo Domingo Pubelo, and, therefore, many of its current artists, are inescapably linked to what is known as “heishi,” the literal meaning of which is “shell” and which specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been drilled and... Read moreThe Jemez Pueblo Harvest Celebration
The Jemez Pueblo feast day celebrating Saint Persingula, the patron saint of the Pueblo, is held every year on August 2nd. While some rituals in most feast day celebrations are very private and secret, Palms’ owner, Guy Berger, has been invited to attend this... Read more
The Mata Ortiz, Acoma Pueblo Connection: Similarities in Design
Written by Palms Trading owner Guy Berger, today’s blog features a fascinating exercise in exploration and comparison of ancient and modern pottery styles and designs between Mata Ortiz and Acoma Pueblo. In his own words: “Paquime’ was an old village in... Read more
Kokopelli: Fertility Deity and God of Harvest
In many places in the world, primitive people used to carve images on rocks, often called Petroglyphs. The Kokopelli, a mystical flute player, is the most well known petroglyph in the American southwest. Petroglyph carvings of the Kokopelli figure date... Read more
The Apache Burden Basket
Once made for every day use in collecting or gathering wild foods, or to cultivate crops like corn, the Burden Basket of the Apache Tribe is one of the most quickly recognized items pertaining to Native American cultures today. The Apaches, traditionally nomadic... Read more
Artist Spotlight: Anita “Pauline” Romero
While we here at Palms treasure each relationship we have with the artists we work with daily, there are some artists, having worked with them over decades, and whom we see often, we feel special bonds with. Our August Artist Spotlight potter, Anita... Read more