Thiel, Mark G.

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Marquette Universitye-Publications@MarquetteLibrary Faculty Research and Publications Library (Raynor Memorial Libraries)1-1-2012American Indian Easter EggsMark G. ThielMarquette University, mark.thiel@marquette.eduPublished version. Whispering Wind, Vol. 40, No. 6 (2012): 4-6. Publisher link. © 2012 WrittenHeritage. Used with permission.Atnerican Indian Easter Eggs By Mark G. Thiel Photography by Brian Cumming During the summer of 19~5 , r had a chance encounter with a little gIrl selllllg ceramIc wares door to door in Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico. Her basket contained several small multi-colored ceramic pieces, all recently made by her grandmother. Among them was an egg, and being a collector of ethnic Easter eggs, I purchased it, which piqued my curiosity and launched my effort to collect and learn about Easter eggs by Native American artists. During the next 16 years, I inquired, intennittently, about these miniature art pieces among residents in Laglllla Pueblo and other Rio Grande pueblos in New Mexico and Texas. I also expanded my search to include other Indian artists and merchants interested in Native American miniature artworks. I learned that making and selling fine-art Easter eggs is a rare preoccupation for the artists who do so . Typically, this work is an extension oflarger home-based art businesses within their native communities. This allows their families to participate in traditional cultural activities that support their community and its cultural identity, which thereby nurture their unique artistic styles. Most make eggs for use by family and friends or sell them directly from their homes or via E-bay, Facebook, or websites. Consequently, finding them by trial and error, word-of-mouth and on the internet became a challenging Easter egg hunt of its own, which like many hunts, included a few wrong turns and misperceptions. Among Southwest tribes, Lenten and Easter traditions began under Spanish Catholic influence, which by the 18th century, included the introduction of brightly colored confetti among trade goods from the Far East. With confetti , the people created pinatas, confetti flowers , and confetti eggs (cascarones) for celebrating festi ve events. Confetti eggs were hollowed-out ch icken eggs adorned with confetti that became popular for breaking over the heads of friends during the pre-Lenten Carnival (Mardi Gras) 4 Confetti egg (right) by Marilyn Carlos, San Xavier (Tohono O'od ham) Indian Reservation , Arizona , 2011 . Confetti egg (left) from Old Pascua (Yaqui) , near Tucson , Arizona , 1999. The author's collection displayed in a black ash "porcupine" basket made by Ho Chunk Indians in Wisconsin . Larger view on cover. held 48 days before Easter SllI1day, and at birthdays and other celebrations. Among Yaqui Indians, confetti flowers and confetti eggs symbolized flowers, which serve as metaphors of spiritual powers that dramatize Jesus ' triumph over evil in their ceremonies held on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. BY the 20tl~ century, ~glo-Yankee influence stImulated NatIve American interest in Easter eggs across North America. Many parents want their children to experience Easter egg hunts, as part of their quest to make their children more fam iliar with Anglo culture and thereby enable them to better succeed in the outside world. Consequently, schools, social agencies and churches in native communities have sponsored Easter egg hunts for the children that now feature the ubiquitous colorful baskets and plastic eggs filled with candy. In Southwestern Pueblo tribes, Kachlnas became involved with these activities as well, and in Alaska, Easter egg hlll1ts have been compared to the springtime traditional subsistence harvests of wild bird and fish eggs. Among the Southwestern Pueblo tribes, Anglo-Yankee market demand also stimulated the revival of traditional Vl'lii.l,P eriHjf Vl'inA / Issue # 280 / Vol 40 # 6 pottery-making. In so doing, a few artists began to make occasional ceramic art eggs along with ceramic bowls and figurines . Un like storytellers and nativity sets, production and demand for eggs has been s light. However, eBay has featured two highly collectable ceramic Easter eggs by Kim Vallo, an Acoma artist, and a clown Kachina doll holding and painting an Easter egg by Neil David, Sr. , a Hopi artist. In West Central Mexico, the Huichol Indians have a long tradition of adorn ing obj ects with beads. Glass beads were introduced in the early 20th century, and w ith increasing outside demands to purchase their art, the Huichol have developed more complex color and design patterns, which they apply to new and traditional items. Some items, such as quail-size egg shapes, are now produced in inexpensive mass quantities and marketed as Christmas, not Easter, ornaments for tourists. Yaqui ceremonies on Palm Sunday, 1921, featuring the enemies of Jesus-a "Fariseo" [Pharisee] (left) and two "Chapayekas", the solders of the Fariseos. Faithful Christians defeat them on Holy Saturday by throwing a barrage of confetti flowers and confetti eggs. Courtesy Marquette University, Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records; published in The Indian Sentinel, 2:7 (July, 1921). In Alaska, Easter traditions began in the 18th century under Russian Orthodox influence. No doubt the lack of domestic fow l limited the development of egg art. Yet a few artists of native heritage have practiced " pysauky", a Russian egg-art form that uses a wax-resist method to apply colors and designs to egg shells. Simone Carter-Martin, a self-ta ught artist of Russian-Yupic heritage, has used this method to decorate home-raised chicken and goose eggs with Athabaskan colors and designs. But only rarely has she created these works for sale. Selected Sources This artic le represents extensive travel and research with crafts people and published writings, which T have sandwiched in with my work for Marquette University. Nowhere have I ever encountered anybody to ever seek to collect American Indian Easter eggs beyond their own tribe or community and I have not found any related published writings of any sort - not a book or article. The closest I've found has been a few newspaper articles on hunts for candy-filled plastic eggs and e-Bay notices about art eggs by Native American artists. I really believe that this is a pioneering article. Eskimo girls and a nun with recently collected wild gull eggs, Akulurak, Alaska , undated (ca. 1900-1920). Courtesy Marquette University, Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Digital Image Collection. http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/folkarts/cascarones.htrnl , 1990; accessed online January 5, 2012. Gulevich, Tanya. (2002). Encyclopedia of Easter, Carnival, and Lent, Detroit: Omnigrapbics. Barnett, Rona ld A., "Huichol Art, A Matter of Survival": I. "Origins", II. "Authenticity and Commercialization", III. "Motifs and Symbolism", and IV. "An Art in Evolution", Mexconnect, http://www.mexconnect.comlarticles/3262-huichol-art-a-matter-of-surviva l-part-one, 2009; accessed January 8, 2012. Barry, John W. (1984). American Indian PottelY: An Identification and Value Guide. Florence, Alabama: Books Americana. eBay, "Kim Vallo Acoma Pueblo Native Indian Easter Egg Pottery", http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedialkim-vallo-acoma-pueblo-native-indian-136709071 ; accessed January 8, 20 12. Kachina House, "Native American Hopi Carved Clown Katsina Doll Painting Easter Egg", http://www.kachinahouse.comlp-315 1-native-american-bopi-carve d-clown-katsina-doll-painting-easter-egg.aspx; accessed January 8, 2012; also on eBay. Griffith, James S., "Cascarones ", Mexican American Paperwork, The University of Arizona, Vl'I1.?~" er?>1lf Vl'?nA / Issue # 280 / Vol 40 # 6 Lakota CountlY Times [online], "Sicangu children enjoy Easter Festivities", April 22, 2009; "Easter Bunny Hops across the Rez", April 27, 20 II. Northern Arizona Univers ity, Cline Library Special Collection and 5 

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