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Be Matriarch Original Handbags made by Yazzgrl Art- Venaya Yazzie
Photo: Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
2019 |
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Be Matriarch Original Handbags made by Yazzgrl Art- Venaya Yazzie
Photo: Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
2019 |
Made in the spirit of my high-desert Dine' matriarchs, my grandmothers, aunts and Indigenous sisters, I design and created these handmade 'Be Matriarch' handbags with each of them in mind. Truly, their legacy inspires me constantly as a creative being in this current space.
Growing up with my Dine' elder women in my life I have been witness to their daily life tasks and household duties. Of the myriad of responsibilities they did and continue to perpetuate the one that stands out is their constant and conscious act of sustainability practices. My maternal grandmother, who is now 89 years of age, continues to reuse and recycle. In today's contemporary jargon we call this practice "upcycling." Many hipsters and earthy-type individuals live with this practice in mind - all of which is a good thing! But, my tribal and ancestral relatives have been doing this for hundreds of years.
As a young girl, I would see my grandmothers and great aunts disassembling various items to be repurposed for future use. Among the myriad of items they upcycled was the Four Corners area product, or bag it was sold in: the Bluebird Flour sack. This is a regionally specific item used by many people in the are communities of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and of course in southwest Colorado were the product is produced. The Cortez Milling Company, Inc., is located just northwest of Cortez, Colorado. The mill produces three type so flour to cook with, the are the: Bluebird Flour, Red Rose Flour and the White Rose Flour.
Each of these types of flour have been used for years by the regional Indigenous peoples of the Four Corners communities of: Ute Mountain Ute, White Mesa Ute, Jicarilla Apaches, some of the Rio Grande Pueblos and Jemez Pueblo, and the Navajos from Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. As tribal people we used the flour to make our various sorts of tribal-specific breads, one leading type of bread being the frybread. For the Dine'/ Navajo people, the traditionally made tortilla is a favorite type of bread where the Bluebird Flour is used. Many woman stand by the notion that only this type of flour can be used if you want the bread to be good!
So, as you see the Bluebird Flour brand has and continue to be a mainstay in our Indigenous communities in the Four Corners. The flip side of the bread products produced by the flour, is the bag itself. The flour is stored and sold in a hearty 100% cotton material cloth and stitched together with a heavy-woven cotton thread, which itself is string-like. The stellar mark of the bag though is the art that is printed on it. The Bluebird. It is a farm scene with a field and a blue-colored bird perched upon a stalk of grain. The Bluebird brings joy to people when they see it either in person in the nature, or on printed upon the flour sack.
For me I see the bag as a southwest, high desert cultural item. Both the product and the bag itself have become integrated in the tribal culture of the above mentioned tribal people. For the Navajo specifically, the bird bird species itself plays a vital part of our cultural stories, and therefore symbolizes goodness, blessing and or good luck.
I recall my matriarchs using all parts of the disassembled bag for their use. The cloth and the heavy thread were upcycled and used for other things in the Navajo household and for personal use. The Navajo matriarchs used the bag to store dried corn in, and to store dried- Navajo tea in. Then they would use the heavy-thread/string to string turquoise beads with and or use the string when someone had their ears pierced.
Today, years later I carry on this upcycling tradition in the Be Matriarch Handbags I create. With each bag I strive to make at at least 85% to 90% materials. I being with reusing the Bluebird cotton bag, which is screenprinted on with my design, then I use found material and remnant materials from the fabric store, which includes the various trimming. I visit the second hand stores to get the woven belts and sashes in which I use to make the bag handles and straps. And I also use the belt hardware to attached to the bag itself.
I am very proud to state that the Be Matriarch Handbag is 100% inspired by my matriarchs! In that way the person who acquires one with be blessed with such Beauty.
Blessings All Around.
Venaya Yazzie
Yazzgrl Art
New Mexico, USA
(posted 04-15-19 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
