We are often asked how Chipeta Trading supports Native Artists?  As collectors and dealers of Historic Native Arts, I am quite clear that we are simply curators and caretakers  of the “Peoples Belongings”.  It is our honor to create a safe place for this material to reside and to teach the history and craftsmanship that was needed to create such wonderful pieces of art.   Within our advertising it is important for us to use Indigenous models whenever possible to honor and respect their historical significance and at the same time to help further their careers.   As a proud adopted  Crow or Apsaalooke,  my name“baa halene diilii xiassaalaachish”  means to ”stand out among the others” and in order to live up to that important name I continue to work with and support Native causes through educational scholarships, mentoring, teaching and tribal participation.  The exhibition currently at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana “Apsaalooke Woman and Warriors” has allowed us to contribute a number of pieces from our personal collection to this monumental exhibit, showcasing the history of the Crow people from Creation to Today!  Our work with the Pretty Shield Foundation in Billings, Montana, the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, NM, and scholarships through the Institute of American Indian Art are just a few ways we touch Native lives!  To learn more about our support of Native Artists, and to join us in these important causes, please contact me at don@chipetatrading.com  Thanks again for reading our Blogs! AHO!

Elizabeth in California wanted to know “How we get such amazing material to offer to our clients?”  At Chipeta Trading we work extremely hard to bring the best collectable historic Native Arts to the market today.  Many of the items come from our personal collection and over time our tastes change and we then deaccession pieces and make them available to the collecting public.  In regards to vintage jewelry, we have spend years building important relationships with experts in the field who bring us the best of the best!  We have no inventory on consignment and pay for everything at the time of purchase.   That puts us in a very unique position where we are offered the highest quality vintage Navajo and Pueblo silver and turquoise jewelry.   From time to time we also purchase estate collections and selected items of with importance provenance.   We choose very carefully to insure the highest quality in the market today!

H.J. in Vermont wants to know more about our models.  Our advertising is designed to showcase our historic Native American Art, build our brand and at the same time support and honor Indigenous peoples.  Our models are paid quiet well and are given the international exposure not readily available through other channels.  Chipeta Trading Company supports native artists and works with the Native/Indigenous communities to help promote their careers in a safe and professional manner.  We use both men and women models to promote our brand and have helped launched a number of them into international exposure with agencies and companies such as Ralph Lauren and the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency.  We are very much aware of the issues revolving around “Violence Against Native Woman” and in no way promote or condone these terrible acts through our advertising or company values.   Our college scholarship programs, mentoring and foundation work helps to insure that both Native men and woman have an outlet for their skills and talents insuring a bright future ahead!  For more information on scholarship programs, mentoring and modeling opportunities please contact us at don@chipetatrading.com.