Thousands of Indigenous artists gather outside the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, selling their homemade and handcrafted items while sitting on the ground.However, with bitterly cold temperatures posing a concern for the vendors’ well-being, a local business, 4KINSHIP, extended a helping hand. They offered tables, chairs and space heaters for the artists, but the board, museum director and committee of artists declined that offer. “Why can’t we as a collective here in Santa Fe accommodate these artists to sell on tables to give them sufficient heating,” Thomas Coriz, a Kewa Pueblo silversmith and former member of the Native American Artisans Portal program, said. “It’s called Equal Opportunity. I just really am trying to advocate for the vendors here.”Coriz’s goods are sold at 4KINSHIP, the store offering shade, tables, chairs, and heaters — amenities the Native American Portal Chairman Maya Pino says — artisans as a whole — don’t want.”I asked everyone, ‘are you wanting tables?’ They expressed that they did not want the tables and that this was our tradition as a program,” Pino said.She says selling and working on the floor is not degrading. “That’s what us as Native American artisans prefer,” Pino said. “That’s our long-standing tradition.” Cortiz sees it differently.”I see it as systematic oppression. It’s allowing a traditional space here in Santa Fe to stay on the ground for who knows how many years because they’re preserving the image,” Cortiz said.Pino says she’s open to learning more about how Coriz and the 4KINSHIP team can offer heaters.”We can sit down and have meetings, bring in the portal coordinator, Billy, the director, and find out where we are and what steps we need to take next to make it a reality,” Pino said.For now, Pino says she and the committee representing the artisans are staying grounded in tradition.”My grandmother sold here, my parents sell here. I knew what I was getting myself into and I’m very proud to be a part of this program,” Pino said.The president of the board of regents of the museum remains open to change, stating that they would welcome a conversation if and when the portal vendors and their committee desire rule adjustments. As the clash between tradition and temperature persists, the Indigenous artists remain grounded in their heritage, navigating the delicate balance between preserving culture and adapting to modern challenges.