I just love a story with a happy ending, don’t you?

Signing table, gift shop, Navajo Nation Museum, Window Rock

On December 12, I wrote about my visit to the Keshmish Festival at Window Rock, which was held the first weekend in December at the Navajo Nation Museum. In passing, I said:

A young girl came by who wanted to buy the Tahoma book for school, but could not afford it. I gave her information to pass on to her school so they might purchase it for their library.

Navajo Prep, Mascot Image from Facebook Page

A fan of Quincy Tahoma, who has bought copies of Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist for herself and as a gift, wrote to us and said she wanted to give a copy of the book to that school. Although I had not written down the name of the young woman who was interested in the book, I did remember her school was Navajo Preparatory. I looked it up on line and found out the 20-year-old school was located in Farmington, New Mexico. Although students stay in residence at Navajo Prep, this is a far cry from the boarding schools of Tahoma’s childhood and before. Whereas those students were prepared for “practical skills” like cooking and shoemaking,  about 95%  of each graduating class of Navajo Prep goes on to college.

I wrote to the school librarian and explained the wishes of the would-be donor.

Unfortunately, this all happened just before Christmas, so I did not hear back until a week into the new year. The answer from Ms. Sategna, the librarian, was YES! Not only was she delighted to have a copy of the book, but when she got my note, she put a notice up asking who the student was that attended Keshmish and saw the Tahoma book. Very soon the young woman appeared, and they had a long conversation about her interest in the book.

Our donor, who by coincidence, raises sheep–just as many Navajo do–promptly paid for a book through Paypal, and I sent it off to Navajo Preparatory School. She plans to donate another book to another Western Indian tribal school in the near future.

For privacy reasons, the librarian is not giving out the name of the young woman who started this story rolling, but I am hoping that she may contact us some time and let us know how she likes the book, and how it may influence her education.

One more coincidence–you may know that Charnell and I grew up in Ohio. Well guess where the librarian is from?  Right! She hails from Ohio, although she has lived on the Navajo reservation for most of her adult life.

I’m going to let our donor, who also wants to remain anonymous, have the last word:

Two young people look at Tahoma's book at Keshmish

 ”Perhaps other people will use this idea to put these books in schools as inspiration for the children.  It is my biggest hope that this student does communicate with you and you can encourage her in her art.” 

Quincy Tahoma loved children and frequently helped children learn to draw and paint. We know that he would appreciate knowing that his life and paintings might inspire young artists.

We know that the former librarian of Santa Fe Indian School bought a book for that school, and a teacher bought one for another school on the Navajo reservation. Would you like to join this effort and donate a book to a Native American school? Let us know.

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Shelly Duncan's Guidon Books in Scottsdale was well prepared for the Quincy Tahoma presentation

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Quincy Tahoma portrait

Our audience continues to grow which is a GOOD thing, because it means more people will meet Quincy Tahoma and his art.

Here are the 9 blog posts you liked most last year:

• To Market, To Market explored how Tahoma sold his paintings.
• Tahoma’s Horses talks about his love of horses, one of his favorite subjects to paint.
• Navajo Comfort Food. Mutton stew and how to make it.
• Win a Book, in which we gave away a copy of Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist.
• Elmer Yazzie, Navajo Artist Inspired by Tahoma. Many artists were inspired by Tahoma, and we profiled a couple of them last year. More to come.
• Book Publisher Challenges Discounters. One of the reasons we like our publisher, Schiffer Books–they are challenging the practice of deep discounts on new books.
• Good Reads in Art. We’d like to think that Quincy Tahoma, a Top Pick in the Southwest Books of the Year is one of the best–but honesty compels us to admit that there is other good reading about Indian art out there.
• Tahoma Book Goes on the Road. We have been sharing our marketing trips with you. This was just the first foray.
• The Reviews Page. Here we share with you all the nice things that reviewers have had to say about our book. (And, honestly, if they say something negative, we include that, but it does not happen often.)

Did this roundup include your own favorite post or page at the Tahoma Blog? Which type of subject matter would you like more of? What else would like us to write about? Any specific questions for us? Please join the conversation.

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Navajo Grandma, hand-crafted doll by Sylvia Begay

When I went to the Keshmish (Christmas) Festival at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, I could not resist bringing home this grandmother doll. This hand-made beauty resembles Pueblo story-teller dolls, but this doll has a distinctly Navajo grandmother. Sylvia Begay( who also made the Christmas ornaments I showed on Facebook) calls these “story dolls.”

Since both Charnell and I are grandmothers, I wanted to learn the Navajo word for grandmother. Some of the people stopping by the table where I was showing the Quincy Tahoma book tried to teach me. I am a visual learner, and trying to remember, or follow the pronunciation of a Navajo word evades me.

One woman explained that the Navajo have two names for grandmothers. Most of the references on the Internet will give you one or the other, but not mention the difference–critical to a Navajo who pays attention to relationships! Where they do show up on the web,  ”My father’s mother” shows up  as ama’ sani and “my mother’s mother” –shima sani. (Rendered as Shah-mah’ tsah’nih at Navajo.org–not quite as simple as English speakers might like.) And Sylvia Begay who crafted this grandma, called them ma sani in an interview. So take your pick.

Earlier in the day, a girl about five years old had stopped to look at the Tahoma paintings I had rotating on my small computer’s screen.  When one of his “Navajo Madonnas” came up, she happily pointed and said “Shima“.  I was proud of myself for knowing that she meant “mother”–one of the very few Navajo words that I have actually have conquered, because we talk about it in the book.  Tahoma used the word shima to refer to women in families that befriended him–perhaps always searching for a mother of his own.  But as far as we know, Quincy Tahoma never was able to experience the spoiling of a grandmother.

Since Charnell has only daughters, she will always be a shima’ sani. Since I have only sons, my grandchildren all will know me as ama’ sani.

Navajo Grandma

I welcome Navajo-speakers comment and corrections on the rendering of these words, as I have seen slightly different words used, also–so I continue to be confused. But then, I’m a grandma, and we tend to be confused a lot.

By the way, Tahoma did speak Navajo, and by the time he started to school at Santa Fe Indian School, students were no longer punished for speaking their native languages.

If you are not Navajo, do you know any Navajo words? If you ARE Navajo– do you speak your language? Who taught it to you?

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

We promised earlier to bring you the entire list of winners in Southwest Books of the Year 2011. We did put a brief list in our newsletter. (Which you can subscribe to on the home page of the Tahoma Blog .)  The Pima County Library’s Southwest Books of the Year Page just went live,so now you can click over to it and read all about the judges, the entrants, book summaries, and all.

You will find Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist in an alphabetical listing of  Top Picks –also known as Best Reading. We like the sound of that! Quincy Tahoma is Best Reading!!

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

But we’re way ahead of them. We have been offering free domestic shipping on your orders of Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist for months, now.

The free shipping on our books will disappear after January 1, so take advantage of the special December offer and buy this Award-Winning book* for holiday presents.

Our December offer includes a free gift with purchase–a poster-style calendar with a copy of the beautiful Tahoma painting that graces the cover of the book.

Some people have inquired about purchasing extra calendars, and, yes, we will sell them to you for $4.00 each.  Just drop a note to charnell@tahoma.info and tell her what you need. (If you want them shipped express so you can have them for Christmas, we’ll have to ask you to pay the extra postage.)

*In case you missed the news, Quincy Tahoma was named a Top Pick by the esteemed judges of Southwest Books of the Year 2011. They say “It’s a keeper.” Get your signed copy today.

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist

This is not only a beautiful art book and thoroughly- researched biography of Quincy Tahoma (c. 1920-1956), but is also the complete story, told for the first time, of a gifted artist whose life reflects not only his own personal challenges but the multiple difficulties of being an American Indian trying to thrive in an Anglo American-dominated culture.  The reproductions of Tahoma’s art are stunning, the text clearly organized and presented with easy to follow endnotes, helpful appendices on exhibits, collections, awards and a timeline of his life. This is a keeper.

This is the statement of Margaret Loghry, former teacher, librarian and library-administrator for Tucson Unified Schools and one of the judges for the Southwest Books of the Year. (As I post this, the Pima County library has not yet updated to add their 2011 books, but you can see past years and learn about what it means to be chosen.)

14 adult books (and 7 children’s books) were chosen from 212 entries in this year’s judging.

If you do not already own Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist, or want to buy it as a gift, check with these bookstores and museums:

• Phoenix: Heard Museum
• Scottsdale: Guidon Books
• Tucson: Arizona State Museum
• Dragoon, AZ: Amerind Foundation
• Albuquerque: Bookworks
• Santa Fe: Collected Works Bookstore

If your favorite independent book seller or gift shop does not have the book in stock, ask them to order it.

Or take advantage of our Special December offers here at the Tahoma Blog, and get limited time free shipping and a free gift with purchase.

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Merry KeshMish

Among the many benefits of working on the Quincy Tahoma biography, we have had many opportunities to personally meet people whose lives touched Tahoma’s.  When I went to Window Rock to the Navajo Nation’s Késhmish (Christmas) Festival at the Navajo Nation Museum, I felt certain that I would run into some interesting people. Little did I imagine that I would unearth yet another girlfriend.

Kesh Mish Festival

Nearly all the attendees at the two-day festival at the beautiful Navajo Nation Museum were Navajo families,  not tourists. (A good reason for you to keep it in mind for next year.) Artists and craftsmen packed the large central hall and a children’s crafts room was set up on the side. If you could walk through that large room– packed with jewelry, glass and pottery ornaments, Navajo-print fabrics made into all sorts of things like scarves and purses, paintings, note cards, Christmas presents galore–without buying anything, you have more will power than I do!

Michelle Tsosie Sisneros who lives at Santa Clara Pueblo caught my eye. The work she was showing at the fair is not on her webpage. Because she is both Navajo and Pueblo, she has created a line of clay figures that combine Navajo and Pueblo symbols.

An enterprising family with eight children who compete in track and field events, was serving up fry bread, coffee, hot chocolate and other goodies in the small cafe. All proceeds went to support their five children who are members of the New Mexico team that will compete in a National track meet.

Anthony Chee Emerson

Anthony Chee Emerson, one of  the outstanding Navajo painters who is quoted in Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist had a booth right beside the gift shop, where I sat at a table and talked to people about Quincy Tahoma. It was delightful to see Anthony’s work and get to chat with him once again.

Juan the bull-rider jewelry maker

Across from Anthony, a man in a huge cowboy hat sat behind a table of hand-made silver and turquoise jewelry. Juan Curley and his wife Polly make unforgettable jewelry, even though he also has a day job AND tends to his sheep and horses in Ganado where they live. After I admired Juan’s leather trophy jacket (2nd place, bull riding) he meandered over to my table and told me quite a bit of his life story–an interesting one, you can bet!

At the table beside me, a man sat in a high wheelchair, with various mechanized aides to help him move.  He was selling a book with his inspirational story about what he had learned as a paraplegic, and told me how few Navajos know where to go for help with serious injuries and how he talks to students to familiarize them with his hope-filled story.

A young girl came by who wanted to buy the Tahoma book for school, but could not afford it. I gave her information to pass on to her school so they might purchase it for their library.

When I wandered around the room packed with booths, I stopped to talk to Beverly Blacksheep, who crafts ceramics, tiles, coffee cups, notecards and other items with her lovely Navajo-themed designs. When I told her that I was there with a book about Quincy Tahoma, she told me that his painting had influenced her work, and she had painted some horses on some of her pieces that were inspired by Tahoma.  Then she said her mother-in-law went to school with Tahoma. In fact, she was his girlfriend. But Beverly did not want to tell me any more than that, because she was not sure her mother-in law-would approve.

Soon I met her husband Tim Genéeha, and he did not hesitate to tell me that his mother’s name is Helen Haskie.  Along our research journey, someone had mentioned a girlfriend at the Indian school, Helen Haskie, but we could not find anyone else to confirm the story or tell us where she lived, so we gave up on finding her.  Tim said that Tahoma gave Helen a large painting, but he does not know what happened to it.

Helen had first attended Ft. Wingate school, and then was transferred to Santa Fe. Tim promised to tell me more after he talks to his mother.  Before I left, I made a list of questions that we would like to ask Helen if we could talk to her, and we eagerly await the response from possibly the FIRST of Tahoma’s girlfriends, and probably the ONLY Navajo girlfriend. And who knows, we may be able to find another missing painting.

So who’s next? Is there another girlfriend or two out there whom we have not heard about? Do you have Tahoma stories to share?  We’re all ears.

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Adobe Gallery, Santa Fe

It was a treat to return to Adobe Gallery in Santa Fe last week. We had last been there in August during Indian Market, when the gallery hosted a reception and book signing for us.

Al Anthony

I wanted to see if Al Anthony had any new Tahoma paintings that I had not seen yet–yes, he did. It is called Indian Love Call. The painting, created in 1955, is similar to one painted in 1956 with the same name that is in our book, Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. The main difference is that it is a mirror image. The painting is done in bright, bold colors and uncharacteristically for Tahoma, shows a scene that is Plains Indians (complete with teepees) rather than his own Navajo people.

And I wanted to ask Al about another Quincy Tahoma painting he recently sold  because he had told an interesting story on his web site about the owner. I was particularly interested in learning who had purchased that painting. (It is a losing battle, but Charnell and I TRY to keep track of the hundreds of Tahoma paintings.)

The Adobe website said that they acquired this  painting of a Navajo brave on a horse from an artist from Santa Clara Pueblo who had been a friend of Tahoma’s. The two of them were riding to Taos to sell two of Tahoma’s paintings, when a drink was spilled on one of the paintings. The artist friend took the “ruined” painting and kept it.  Now, more than 50 years later, the artist had decided to sell the Tahoma painting.  Adobe Gallery was able to have a restorer remove the stain so that the painting looked as good as new.

When I went in to see Al Anthony, I asked if he knew any more about the painting. He revealed that the artist-owner of the painting was a woman, and he surmised that she was Tahoma’s girlfriend back when they were riding in a car to Taos. (She must have been driving, since we have been told that Tahoma was always reluctant to learn to drive because of his impaired left arm).  He promised to contact the painting’s original owner and see if she would talk to us about her friendship with Tahoma.

Then I asked who had bought the painting.  It was purchased for the Buffalo Thunder Casino outside of Pojaque Pueblo, north of Santa Fe. It is very appropriate that Tahoma’s painting should find a home in a casino belonging to one of the pueblos, since he spent so much time with friends from the pueblos.

You can see several other paintings that illustrate how Tahoma copied his own creations when you look through Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist.

©2012 Quincy Tahoma Blog. All Rights Reserved.