COLLINSVILLE — The Riverbend’s Native American heritage was celebrated at the Gateway Center in Collinsville over the weekend as the annual Cahokia Mounds Indian Market Days showcased the diverse creations of Native artisans from across the country.
A part of the convention center was filled with Native American artists and vendors who displayed and sold original creations ranging from jewelry to clothing, paintings and sculptures. Many different tribal affiliations were represented.
William Harjo from Oklahoma, of Creek ancestry, creates Native American flutes from cedar.
“One of my ancestors used to make them,” Harjo said. “You don’t have to play it loud; the sound travels a lot farther than you think.”
Harjo said the flutes can play beautiful tunes, and he demonstrated some for visitors.
“Hunters used to have charm songs to lure the animals to them,” Harjo said. “These flutes fall in that category, where you can make sounds that flow out and get people’s attention.”
Monty Curley Hair is of Navajo ancestry and is originally from Oklahoma. He was surrounded by his seed bead jewelry creations.
“It takes me a long time to create my seed beads,” Curley Hair said. “The colors I use in my beads lift me up. They give me healing and comfort.”
Native American blowguns by the dozens were displayed at Lucas Wildcat’s booth. He has been crafting the devices from river cane for 25 years.
“I learned how to make these from my father,” said Wildcat, a Cherokee from Oklahoma. “It makes me proud of my heritage and helps me to teach it to others.”
Dave Farnham is from Ontario and is a member of the Onondaga Nation. He wasn’t shy about naming the inspiration for his soapstone, moose and deer antler, and buffalo bone sculptures.
“I am inspired by Benjamin Franklin; he’s on the hundred-dollar bill,” Farnham said. “I make what I like and if they like it they buy it.”
Indian Market Days is affiliated with the nearby Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, which is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site due to its significance as a major cultural center in prehistoric North America. Cahokia Mounds flourished for centuries but had long been abandoned by the time Europeans set foot on the continent.
