+ Taken to the Skies +

I have just learned that my dear, creative friend & business partner "Montana-Made" has past away. I am, simply put, heartbroken.  I will take time away from my Etsy Shop & my online presence: IG & here, to process and to catch my breath.  A message to those of you who have purchased his Medicine Bags, Necklaces, Beads, or other artwork, I cannot stress enough that you have a truly special, one-of-a-kind GIFT...from a Master Craftsman whose Spirit has taken to the Skies, and whose gentle Soul will remain in each & every piece of his artwork.  Thank you for supporting him, and his Soul-Work, all these years, as it meant the world to him!

                            +                        

the deepest feelings, the hardest words... words i can't express. perhaps my tears will shed the heartache. perhaps my heartache will shed the pain. perhaps my pain will shed the regret. perhaps my regret will shed some light.  you are the Sun. the Moon. the Rain. the Thunder. the Earth... and yet, you were so much More.  with Sacred Ways and Native Soul you spun your magic... i am blessed & honored to have traveled a distance of this journey alongside You. JY, i am so grateful to have found You. You mean the world to me...forever... & a day.

+

 

+ Bear & Buffalo +

+

Buffalo fur, hair & hide used in Medicine Bags symbolizes a connection to the land & the Bison itself, which historically has been central to a tribe's way of life.  Buffalo is honored as a sacred symbol, as Buffalo are considered to be relatives of their people - embodying both life and abundance - it gives until there is nothing left - a symbol of self-sacrifice.

+

Connection to Bear Medicine represents a deeper connection to the spiritual aspects of Bears, encompassing Strength, Protection, and Healing abilities.  Including Bear hide or fur is a way to invoke & draw upon the power of bear as Strength, Goodness & Knowledge of Self.

 

+ Celtic, Crow & Cheyenne +

+

"Medicine" is the essence of the religion of the Crow, as of practically all of the tribes of the Great Plains, if not most of America.  "Medicine" involves the belief in the potent magical power of  certain tangible objects or of representations of these objects.  Great magical power is ascribed to objects encountered quite by accident- and endows it ornaments, and protects it carefully often unwrapping it & praying to it.  In return, the "Medicine" protects him & secures him long life, health, wealth, honors & whatever favors he may seek.

+ New Mini Medicine Bags +

+ 

Medicine bags, bundles or pouches are symbols connected to personal power, strength & protection.  They are meant to be worn around the neck, under clothing, on a belt or saddle or displayed in a sacred area.  These pouches usually include something from each, the plant, mineral, and animal kingdom, in addition to anything else the wearer thinks would bring good fortune, protection & strength.

+

 

+ Beaded Medicine Bag in the Assiniboine Style +

Montana-Made Medicine Bag

Assiniboine Style Medicine Bag- ca.1880’s 

This is a Montana-Made Beaded Medicine Bag, featuring a White beaded background w/Red Horse Hoof Prints & a center Green Arrowhead Design. This is a replica of an Assiniboine bag from the 1880's. Museum quality. Handcrafted. One of a kind. There's even a pinch of Montana Sweetgrass inside!

This beautiful beaded pattern details Horse Hoof Prints & a Long pointed Arrowhead, to bestow a traveler with protection!

And the colored beads on this bag are Vintage French Glass, from the 1970's! The white beads are contemporary Czech glass & all are handsewn onto the frontside of a braintan deer hide. 

A stunner! Beautiful to wear or to hang on display!

Available for purchase in y Etsy Shop!

+ Northern Plains Parfleche Bags +

Happy May Day!

Montana-Made: Hunkpapa Sioux & Lakota Parfleche Medicine Bags!  

French Fur Traders coined these as parfleche, which is derived from the French word "parer" meaning defend and "flèche" meaning arrow, due to the quality and strength of the rawhide being tough enough to deflect arrows when crafted into a shield!  Traditionally attributed to the northern Plains Indians, these bags were made in many sizes & different shapes to transport tools, clothing, food, arrows and treasures. They were most commonly made in pairs and hung from saddles.  

Smaller parfleche were shaped by folding the hides into envelopes, resembling a common day wallet, then decorated with brightly colored geometrical patterns. The distinctive graphic artwork often symbolized mountain & river landscapes which were believed to have served as maps!  In contemporary usage, these designs can carry social, spiritual, tribal, and symbolic meaning and the bags may be worn or carried as part of a ceremony, dance or parade.

Beautifully handcrafted by my friend from Montana, these medium size personal parfleche bags can be worn as a necklace, attached to a belt, or hung on display.  

View them in my Etsy Shop!

 

+ Four Directions +

Different tribes interpret the Medicine Wheel differently.  Each of the Four Directions (East, South, West, and North) is typically represented by a distinctive color, such as black, red, yellow & white, which for some stands for the human races.  The Directions can also represent:

:: Stages of Life: birth, youth, adult, death

:: Seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall

:: Aspects of Life: Spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical

:: Elements of Nature: Fire (or Sun), Air, Water, Earth

:: Animals: Eagle, Bear, Wolf, Buffalo

:: Ceremonial Plants: Tobacco, Sweet Grass, Sage, Cedar

These 2 Beaded Medicine Bags, Pink Four Directions & Pink & Green Geometric are in my Etsy Shop!

 

+ April 2025 +

I'm Back in the Saddle Again! 

& New to my Etsy Shop:

 

Montana-Made Mini Medicine Bags: handcrafted using old recycled leathers, antique beads, resin faux bear claws, old brass horse tack, and filled with special goodies! There's even a Micro-Mini Bag beaded with antique Venetian Glass in the Four Directions pattern!

Old Oregon Coast Abalone Shell Smudge Pots: Shown here is the smaller of two listed featuring antique Venetian Glass Beads, a single large blue faceted Antique Trade Bead from 1850, and old Brass Cones made from 1920's horse tack!

+ Vintage Navajo Collection +

New vintage pieces are in my Etsy

Trading Post

& are ready to ship!

Here's a preview:

+ Gathering Clouds +

Happy May Day!

Featuring my newest collection:

My

+ Gathering Clouds +

Kinship Strand Collection

I'm finishing up these beauties and they will land 

in my Etsy Shop soon!

+  Hozhogo +

+ Montana Made +

Another round of beautifully crafted

Museum quality

Native American collectibles 

by my Montana Hermit

&

are in my Etsy

Trading Post now!

Handmade by my friend known as the “Montana Hermit.” He is a master of his craft.  Each item is

uniquely detailed, beautiful to wear or to display.  Authentic. True to Native Tradition. No two are ever exactly alike! Every piece is a work of Art & a labor of Love!

He handcrafts each piece, often times using antique Trade Beads, hand rolled tin cones, old coins and/or unusual, age appropriate trinkets.  He brain tans hides in the traditional native way which requires a labor intensive special smoke process that is highly prized by collectors seeking these unique items. 

+ Every purchase of my Montana Made items supports an amazing artist who has fallen on hard times.
We Thank you & Hozhogo +

+ Inspired by Sacred Ways +

+ Born of Native Souls +

+ Sacred Ways & Native Souls +

I am delighted to introduce you to the work of a very talented artist, who crafts museum quality, replica Native American medicine bags, ceremonial drums, bows/arrows, quivers, jewelry, and many other artifacts from his tiny home in Montana.

His Medicine Bags are of deer, elk & buffalo hides.   He tans the hides in a labor intensive native tradition requiring a special smoke process.  Collectors highly prize these traditionally tanned items as they look, feel & smell so authentic! He beads by hand, working with many types of antique Trade Beads, old Italian/Venetian glass beads, 1920's Czech beads, as well as old clay & metal beads.

He describes himself as a hermit, and he really does look like the true definition of the word!  He does not seek the attention of others, and would rather his work speak for himself.  He remains unnamed here, as I'm (reluctantly) honoring his request for anonymity.

He crafts sporadically, in the winter months mostly, huddled by his wood stove, surrounded by odds-n-ends, dried sage bundles, hides, bones, feathers, tools, gadgets, stacks upon stacks of reference books, clay paints, brushes & his workbench.  He tries to find odd-jobs in the spring & summer months to help him make ends meet.  He reached out to me back in May, inquiring if I was interested in buying his overstock for my collection. The California gift shop where his pieces were sold for the past 7 years had folded and he was out of an income source.  Although I couldn't fund purchasing his overstock myself, my Etsy shop came to mind. Why not set up his goods in my little shop I thought!  And so it goes, Friends Helping Friends...

Here begins our journey.  Here I present to you, along with my desire to recreate an income source for my dear, talented, Montana Hermit, a gallery of collectible treasures!  Inspired by Sacred Ways and born of Native Souls...

+ Hozhogo +

Above: Beaded Mini Medicine Bags & Below: Summer Buffalo Hide Bag

 For purchase in my Etsy Shop 

+ Click on my Etsy Trading Post Icon +

+ Click on my Etsy Trading Post Icon +

Above: Beaded Yellow Flame Medicine Bag & Below: Beaded Cross Medicine Bag

For Purchase in my Etsy Shop

+ Click on my Etsy Trading Post Icon +

Below: Handpainted with Indigenous Clay Ink Paints

For Purchase in my Etsy Shop

+ Click on my Etsy Trading Post Icon +

Below: Part of my Personal Collection that I have on display in my

Cabinet of Curiosities
I also have his bags hanging in different rooms!

More of my personal collection on display

Detail of my personal collection

Final photo of my Medicine Bag Collection handmade by my

Montana Friend & filled with feathers he sends me.

+ Patterns & Paint +

A beautiful set of front doors on a building in the old town of Athens, NY!

I've never seen anything like these & appreciate the faded colors & intricate details.

+

 

In the gloam of December

December 2016

It has been a remarkable year.

With firsts

&

lasts.

With love

& loss.

With adventures

&

Hard, hard work.
I am grateful for the many lessons
&
I will continue to count my lucky stars,
my blessings
&
to seek and create more Magic
in the coming new year...
2017

+ Warm River Collection +

Grey, green & blue 

Mist

Weeping willow, birch & pine

Forest

Clear, crisp & rising

East...

Teal, indigo & violet

Water

Rainbows, wild browns & brookies

Native

Meander, Wade & cascading

West...

Warm River.

+  Introducing my Warm River Kinship Strand Collection +

Featuring:

Turquoise, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Lapis, 

Glass & Seed Beads...

Vintage Stone Fox Fetishes.

Every color under the Moon...

Float on over to my Etsy shop to claim yours. 

Summer is here.

Embellished: Small Spirits

With Lemon-Lime Agates...

&

Persimmon White Heart Trade Beads

&

Blue Gray Sugalite with Lapis

&

Bamboo Coral

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