Bead life

Hand-made beaded earrings made by Venaya.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Venaya Yazzie 2015

Lately I have returned to the world of traditional Indigenous beading. My hands and eyes have settled into the studio light with a slender beading needle attached to shiny nylon thread, waxed with beeswax.  And, in front of me a rainbow of colored seed beads. I am a 're-born' beader!

These earrings are a pair that I made this year, they are my inspiration or my initiation back into the world of Indigenous beading. Its funny how many of my stories, or recollections concerning my art take me back to my time as a student at IAIA (Institute of American Indian Arts) in Santa Fe, NM. Well, this beading I am doing nowadays allows for my mind and hands to live harmoniously as a team. I have begun my beading trek this new year and I am thoroughly engaged in the 'beauty' of it all. My painting studio has morphed into a beading studio, but this is a wonderful thing, for I find the process of beading refreshing and inspiring as I am 'awakened' to new ways of 'seeing.'

As a painter I apply the colors onto a flat surface, the paintbrush a bridge to my work, yet with beading I apply the colored- bead to the buckskin surface.  The whole beading experience seems to be a more tangible, organic ritual for me. This short break from painting my two-dimensional works is medicinal and it is a good thing. The beading items I make also assist in funding my art, so I will soon be announcing some of my items for sale.

The memories I keep concerning the Indigenous beading technique helps to fuel a rich history of a modern Indigenous women. I learned to bead primarily from two amazing people I met in Santa Fe; a Hopi/Seminole girl and  an Alabama Cousatta/ Lakota boy. Both of these beautiful friends taught me how to bead and forever they are with me helping me keep the 'beauty' of this life about 'hozho.' Little did we know we would be contributing still to the act of INDIGENOUS ADORNMENT.