~ Sacred Ways + Native Souls ~ A Celebration of Life

~  Sacred Ways + Native Souls ~

Grief is a testament to Love.  

It is a natural & enduring process, to live with, to heal around, and manage over time.

It does not end.

It changes shape.

Sorrow & Peace.  Pain & Comfort.  Tears & Laughter.

Grief is my testament to Love. It is a journey, challenging my strength & my resilience.  

It is a direction, sometimes moving me up & sometimes taking me down. 

It is a weather pattern, sometimes all rain showers & sometimes all sunshine.

It is a remodel, my rebuild around the absence of a loved one, 

at times heartbreaking & at times heartwarming.

But

I look forward to the memories. I speak to the memories. I hold on to the memories. 

If tears are the silent language of grief,

then let them flow, for the sun will shine & the laughter will roll.

Love...is a gift.

It is spirit...it is soul...it is sacred...it is alive...& it is 

eternal.

+ for JLY with love +

+for SRY with love +

+ for sacred ways & native souls +

+ for my Montana-Made +

 

+ Vintage Leona Caldwell Estate Ceramics +

 Leona Caldwell was a wife & mother when she returned to Arizona State Teacher's College in Tempe to study art.  In 1954, she expanded her ceramic studio located in Phoenix which lead her to open Leona Caldwell Originals in the Scottsdale Kiva Craft Center shortly thereafter.  There, alongside fellow atisans: Paolo Soleri, Charles Loloma & Lloyd Kiva, she crafted her ceramic jewelry and designed silkscreened fabrics & clothing.  Leona's love of the beautiful southwest was captured in her work. Inspired by the Hohokam, her original designs feature animals, symbols, and plants of the southwestern desert.  Her obituary states that she retired in 1978 to enjoy her home, garden & family.

These lovely ceramic pendants are signed by the artist: Leona Caldwell and include their leather straps! All original, vintage & lovingly cared for from the Estate of Leona Caldwell! 

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+ C H E R I S H is the word +

 JLY: I cannot think of a better way to describe how I feel when I look at, hold, wear & ponder over your artwork/my collectibles than to resort to these gentle & sincere words, from the song by the band The Association: Cherish is the word...

Now, more than ever, this old song represents the best of these newly tangled emotions swirling yet hidden inside of me. It is my love letter too. So much to miss, it hurts. So little time, it burns. Dreams. Plans. Partnership. It aches: Perish is the word that more than applies to the hope in my heart each time I realize... your creativity is no longer. Your creativity now rests in all that you Had created. It is over. That breaks me. It is what was. That crushes my heart. Darkness shades the light. How it saddens me.

I have a project to start & a work-in-progress to complete with those special, cherished, beads you gifted me. Gosh, how I want to sit with you & talk ALL about them....and more. There was so much more to talk about. And although my inspiration is immersed in a thick fog today, just know, the sun will rise again & I will come back to them. I will.  Born of Sacred Ways & Native Souls. Lightness dispels the dark. 

And I do cherish you

And I do cherish you

Cherish is the word

+ Into the Lightness of Spirit +

+

May we enter into the lightness of spirit and slip frequently into the feel of the wild

Let the clear silence of our animal being cleanse our hearts

May we learn to walk upon this earth with all the confidence & clear-eyed stillness

so that our minds might be baptized in the name of the Wind, and the Light, and the Rain.

~ John O'Donohue ~

 

+ Time...waits for no one +

+

I wanted more time...selfishly. I waited too long...selfishly. i didn't. i didn't. i didn't...selfishly.

forgive me.

+

 

+ Bless this Space Between Us +

+

I pray that my flood of tears will become a river 

that will endlessly bend, meander & wind its way

through the Skies that have taken your sweet Soul. 

may the Clouds cradle my tears

may the Skies shelter my river

& may the Winds intertwine my broken heart

I pray that your Spirit will remember to come back to me 

& shine down on me

SHINE down on me.

Bless this space between us

+

 

+ 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!

+ Spirit Horse +

+ A wonderful & moving first-time, handmade project I completed for a very special newborn of a very dear Friend. + 

 

+ 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 +