On Saturday, The Jacobson House Native Art Center hosted the first of its two day holiday art market.

“Understanding the different types of arts that are promoted and just beautifully made throughout the state of Oklahoma, there’s so much that our artists can provide,” said Tracey Satepauhoodle-Mikkanen, Board Emeritus of the Oscar Jacobson Foundation.

And that’s exactly what Oscar Brousse Jacobson saw in native Oklahoma artists more than 100 years ago. Satepauhoodle-Mikkanen said the Jacobson Foundation has been holding the holiday art market for some 30 plus years in the house where it all started.

“When he built this house, he established certain protocol and classes to help the native students that he saw had a potential and taught classes out of here,” she said.

At the market, several different types of art are on sale, from paintings, to patterned fabrics, beads, jewelry and plenty more, all made by Native American artists. And Satepauhoodle-Mikkanen said the art market is off to a successful start this weekend.

“There are some people who know every year that this is coming up, so they’re very helpful and supporting our cause, so they know that there’s different artists here that are gonna be presented. And it’s Christmas time, so we’re able to help each other and buy Christmas presents from our vendors,” she said.

Presents of art that Jacobson recognized as significant many years ago, allowing the art market to flourish into what it is today.

“The art that Dr. Jacobson realized was very unique, that the Kiowa artists were able to produce was something that he saw was a very important aspect of the state of Oklahoma, the Kiowa Nation itself, and then of course the artists,” she said.

Satepauhoodle-Mikkanen said several artists signed up for this year’s market, adding that money made from the market not only helps the artists and vendors, but also helps the Jacobson House.

Rochester, N.Y. – Innovation Square was busy on Saturday afternoon as vendors set up for the second annual Native Made Market in downtown Rochester.

“We came because we’re from the Mohawk clan,” said Jacqueline Ryan. “So, we wanted to come and support other Native-owned businesses and shop around.”

The free event, which was hosted on Small Business Saturday, gave indigenous creators and business owners a chance to share their cultures with the community.

“I’m representing the Tuscarora nation that’s located outside of Niagara Falls,” said Heather Hill, the owner of Etsy store Lilmizzred. “So originally, we were not part of the original Haudenosaunee nations. We were actually part of the sixth nation that joined in from 300+ years ago. So in 1713 is when we migrated up here from North Carolina area, escaping from slavery and we [were] brought up here and we adopted the Haudenosaunee ways.”

“My heritage is Taino, which is what inspires a lot of my artwork and the Taino people were the Indigenous people of the Caribbean,” said Rosa Vargas, the owner of Art of Guake’te.

Visitors could buy a variety of handmade jewelry, art, stickers, dreamcatchers, and more at the market.

“A lot of my work has the Taino sun, the Taino frog,” said Vargas. “So a lot of the symbolism behind their petroglyphs, I put into my artwork.”

“A lot of this stuff was actually my father’s design from 20+ years ago when he did stickers,” said Hill. “Only a few years ago, I revamped up all of his old designs and redid them myself.”

Angelina Hilton founded the market more than a year ago as a small business restaurant owner.

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She said there is a gap in native representation in the area.

“This area is so rich with Indigenous heritage and history with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, but when you look around, the visibility was nearly zero,” said Hilton. “So, in order for us to increase the visibility, we thought that it’d be easier for us to bring in people instead of trying to push all the people out of Rochester to reservations and to the different communities.”

Artists said they were glad events like the market are providing a platform for them to preserve and amplify their history, art, and culture to diverse audiences.

“It’s a great opportunity to kind of let everyone know that we’re still here and that we have a lot to say and a lot to show,” said Vargas.

According to a new survey by American Express, 55% of small business owners anticipate Small Business Saturday will make a significant contribution to their overall holiday sales this year. One group of small business owners gathered in the Rochester area as a way to also contribute to educating their community about their culture.

For small businesses and creators at the Native Made Market, Small Business Saturday has a bigger meaning.

“Saturday being small business Saturday and us being a small business, we decided to shift people’s perspective and focus on indigenous visibility where we brought in Native creatives and entrepreneurs from all different nations,” said Angelina Hilton, founder of the organization Native Made.

That includes Native creatives like Clifford Redeye III, a Seneca artist who grew up on the Allegheny territory.

“You’re telling a story and passing it on, so a lot of my art pieces are that,” said Redeye, the owner of Redeye Leather Co.

He specializes in handmade leather pieces that mix pop culture with a little bit of the Seneca culture.

“People put so much work into it,” he said. “So, a day to highlight that is, I think, so important.”

The day allows him and other indigenous creators to educate the community through their small businesses.

“Leather is a huge part of our culture, and the tooling is something that I kind of was drawn to,” he said.

“The fact that we’re on Haudenosaunee land, which is home of six different nations, what’s more local and small than the original inhabitants of this land?” Hilton said. “So helping to again, bring visibility to the cultures from around this specific area is truly important.”

The day celebrated not only small businesses, but where they come from.

“Every booth you go to you’re going to learn something about each person’s nation and a little bit about them,” Redeye said. “Even if you don’t get anything I think you come away with something.”