Native American art

[compilerbitch]

Hi folks,

This one is aimed mostly at the west coast USians on my flist. My friend Caroline (WHNLJ) and her young son (WAHNLJ) are staying with me at the moment. Caroline is obsessed with Native American art, and wants to buy some of the genuine article for not too much money. Can anyone suggest somewhere that won't require a 6 hour in each direction round trip from Mountain View (this being the best she's managed to find online as-yet, and I *don't* fancy that particular way to kill a weekend!).

She's very much into things like dreamcatchers, small items of decorative sculpture, beadwork, that kind of thing. It isn't really my thing, so if this particular place happens to be near somewhere that I might like to point a camera at, all the better. :-)

Thank you in advance. :-)

Comments

[x-mass.livejournal.com]

is that caroline as in reading/newcastle???

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Yes, the very same.

[x-mass.livejournal.com]

wow - you didn't move a momement to soon :)

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

?

Sorry, you lost me slightly there.

[midendian.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately you're in the wrong part of the West for that... California doesn't really have big, distinct reservations like, say, Arizona and New Mexico do. Maybe something up near Clear Lake? That's approaching the 6hr figure though.

Best bet is probably some trinkets shops in various downtowns around SFBA, but the authenticity factor is pretty low there.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Clear Lake isn't too bad distance wise -- the previous plan was going up to Eureka, which I wasn't at all keen on. Still, Clear Lake should be good for photographic purposes, which works for me.

For myself, I'm not much into that kind of thing -- I am unable to tell it apart from tourist ripoff tat, I'm afraid, so it doesn't do a lot for me. So long as the location is suitable for having a camera pointed at it, I'm happy however!

[midendian.livejournal.com]

I've never actually been to Clear Lake to look for these sorts of things, so you might want to research more :) I just know there is Indian land up there, and casinos (which no doubt have gift shops!).

Clear Lake is tangentially important in the American environmentalist movement, if you care about things like that -- the study of mosquito eradication project around the lake was a key part of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Also if you haven't seen the famous giant Redwoods/Sequoia yet, you should be able to find a place on that journey that's not too big of a detour (Armstrong Redwoods State Park for example). And Indian casinos tend to be gaudy sight to see too.

[redbird]

Two thoughts:

The first is that this is like saying that she likes European art; there isn't a single Native American artistic tradition. Without knowing what she likes, it will be difficult for anyone to offer useful advice.

The second is that a six-hour drive each way adds significant expense, not only in terms of valuing your time but in fuel costs. That's aside from how you feel about spending that much time in a car not only with your friend, but with her young son, who may not travel well.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I'm not really sure what specifically she's into, but in the past she's been very keen on turquoise jewelery, beadwork, stylised animal sculptures and dreamcatchers. Like I said, not really my thing, so I don't really know what I'm looking at or exactly how to describe it.