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Small Hopi Canteen by Nampeyo    

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80 year old Lloyd was just a boy when his parents visited Hopi to take clothes, food and toys during the Depression. They became very close to the Nampeyo famliy: Fannie, Nellie and the Old Lady in her last years. All the collection has been in a display case in his home all these years and it is emotional for him to give them all up.

He remembers playing on top of First Mesa with the Hopi children and they taught him to fall to the ground in a heap if he was in danger of going over the edge!

Kachinas and rattles were gifted to him as they are to Hopi boys.

It is exciting for us to acquire such a well loved collection and to be able to date it exactly in its time period. See the whole collection of pottery by Nellie, Fannie and Nameyo!

45 Year Anniversary at Territorial Indian Arts kilt.jpg

By Larry Cox Special for The Republic | azcentral.com Fri Feb 21, 2014 1:59 PM

Alston Neal’s love of Native American art is no doubt part of his DNA.

As a young teenager, he worked in Territorial Indian Arts & Antiques, a Scottsdale shop then owned by his mother, Rita Neal. Established in 1969, Territorial is the oldest gallery of American Indian art on Main Street in Old Town.

“My wife, Deborah, and I handpick each thing that we add to our gallery collection,” Alston Neal explained. He added that in addition to Southwestern American Indian contemporary art, the emphasis is on antique Indian baskets, textiles and pottery.

Deborah Neal, who joined the gallery in 1976, smiled as she recalled how she became involved.

“I was dating Alston, and one evening while I was having supper with his mother, I told her how fascinating I found her gallery,” she said. “So fascinating, I wondered if she would hire me to work there, and without hesitation she asked me when I could start.”

Alston said that during the past 45 years, the inventory has changed a little but the quality has not. It is interesting to note, he said, that the children of some of the earliest clients have now become clients themselves.

Alston said that he especially loves the textiles in the gallery.

“Some of the Navajo rugs that modern collectors now cherish were made for the tourist trade during the 1880s and ’90s,” he said, pointing to a Moki indigo rug from about 1875 hanging near his desk. The colors are still vibrant even after the passage of more than a century.

Deborah is an expert in Native American pottery.

“Even though certain Indian arts can sometimes be duplicated, pottery simply can’t be faked,” she said. In addition to miniature pottery from the 1970s and ’80s by such artists as Teresita Naranjo, Fannie Nampeyo and Joseph Lonewolf, the shop carries pieces from the early 20th century.

“We purchased pottery, Navajo textiles and some baskets recently from the art collection of Miss Orpha MacPherson, a woman who set up schools on the reservations of the Southwest and worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” Deborah said as she picked up a piece from that accumulation, an extremely rare polychrome pot from the 1920s, the work of Maria and Julian Martinez, internationally known New Mexico potters.

Deborah added that in that same collection were Pine Ridge Sioux art pottery and other extraordinary pieces.

Charles Loloma, the Hopi artisan who helped redefine Native American jewelry, is also represented in the gallery.

“Until Loloma, Native American jewelry was mostly turquoise pieces, but this innovative artist began using silver in fascinating new ways,” Deborah said. As an example, she produced one of his stacked-stone pieces representing dramatic pueblos. Jewelry by Mark Chee, Fred Thompson, Teddy Weahkee and Johnny Poblano is also represented.

The basket collection at Territorial includes the work of the Apache, Navajo, Chemehuevi, Pima, Mission, Washo and Yokuts peoples. Nearby, Hopi kachinas stand guard.

The blend of antique and contemporary artwork in this gallery reflects nothing less than the very best of the American West.

Larry Cox is a former antiques dealer and longtime antiques and collectibles columnist. To ask about items, send a letter to P.O. Box 47308, Phoenix, AZ 85068, or e-mail antiqueanswers@aol.com. Read previous columns at home.azcentral.com. Territorial Indian Arts & Antiques Where: 7077 E. Main St., No. 7, Scottsdale. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Details: www.territorialindianarts.com, 480-945-5432.

The Estate of Orpha MacPherson - Antique Hopi Kachinas

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We have just listed the art collection of Miss Orpha MacPherson, a very interesting woman of the early 20th Century.

Miss MacPherson was college educated and went to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, setting up schools on the Reservations of the Southwest. While immersing herself in the local cultures she supported many artists by her purchase of their fine art, building a comprehensive survey of Pueblo Indian pottery, Navajo textiles and some baskets. All will be listed on our site over the next couple of weeks.

Orpha MacPherson was born around the turn of the last century to a Doctor in Missouri who insisted both of his daughters attend college. This gave them a global view and freedom that was rare for women of the day! Orpha never married but made lifelong friends who she bequeathed with her collection. We can track her movements from the 1920s to about 1950 by the artists included. Nampeyo and Fannie, Mary Juan, Marie and Julian Martinez, several from Santa Clara Pueblo and of course the Pine Ridge Sioux art pottery where she was instrumental in setting up the program at the High School.