CHICO — Many people like artisan fairs, judging by the sheer number of those events and the number of folks who attend them. There are many highly talented and creative artisans right here in Chico, who trace their ancestry to centuries ago, long before people of European descent showed up in the region.
Approximately 25 vendors, including many of the larger Maidu Nation, proudly displayed their wares in snug quarters at Saturday’s sixth annual Chico Indian Market at the Chico Women’s Club, 592 E. Third St.
With the Chico-based Mechoopda Indian Tribe as host, vendors showed off masterful works such as bracelets, necklaces, chimes, decorative boxes and clothing, all the way to books and food items. It was all beautiful, and visitors to the event spent much time inspecting and admiring the items at each table.
“Everything here is native-made,” said Barbara Rose, a member of the Mechoopda tribal council and Chico resident.
Her granddaughter, Rachell Adams, also a Mechoopda tribal member from Chico, sat nearby and offered what she described as “traditional loom bracelets” for sale. The patterns represented concepts from nature; one bracelet featured markings representing the rattlesnake, a species plentiful in this area.
“Some are based on water, land, or feathers,” she said.
More important, though, is the state of mind the artisan must assume before creating the works.
“It has to do with tradition, and intention,” Adams explained. “It’s all about positive intentions. The person creating the item can have no libations for three days prior to and while making it.”
Adams estimated it takes her about two hours to create a bracelet — a remarkably short time, given the great detail and artistry she puts into the items.
Family ties
Nearby, Adams’ brother, Brandon Allen, showed off several copies of his book, The Very Lonely Boy. Allen said he believes he’s the first Mechoopda to have written and published a book.
“It’s about a boy who goes into the forest and asks the sky, over and over, ‘Why am I still alone?'” Allen explained. “Eventually, the sky leaves him a gift.”
Allen lived in Chico for a while, but now resides in Petaluma, employed as a social worker and therapist for the Sonoma County Indian Health Project. Sonoma County’s indigenous tribes are the Pomo and Miwok.
Keeping the familial theme going were Chico Mechoopda residents Isaiah Meders and his father, Ed Meders. Isaiah was one of the event’s coordinators and made occasional announcements to the attendees, but also sold his wares, including “wind charms” — chimes — made from elderberry wood.
Elderberry has a long tradition in Mechoopda culture, as artisans have used it for centuries to create percussion instruments — “clapper sticks” — used in ceremonial music. The wind charms also featured abalone shells, turquoise, tiger’s eye, volcanic rock, hematite, glass and wood beads; the result was an astounding work, appealing to both the eye and ear.
Ed Meders, meanwhile, proudly displayed hand-carved pine boxes with tribal insignia, including a design representing a headband which dancers wear over their faces. A feather design represents the plumage from the flicker (bird) and its regalia.
Ed Meders said the box only takes about three hours to make, after using a propane torch to “burn” it slightly, then sanding it and painting it with a sealant. Hannah Redlich, who stood nearby at the display table, said she adds the detail work.
“No, it takes you about five hours, don’t you think?” Redlich asked Meders. “Yes, I guess about five hours,” he responded with a smile. Meders priced the boxes at between $85 and $120.
‘Get-together’
Isaiah Meders said the yearly event seeks to expose Native artisans and give them an opportunity to make money from their work, but it also serves as a social gathering.
“It brings a lot of Maidu tribes to one place for a get-together,” he said, gesturing around the room. “A lot of these are family members.”
He said there were members — to name a few — from the Round Valley, Konkow, Nomlaki, Wailaki, Wintu and Paskenta tribes, as well as some from the Susanville Rancheria, which represents Maidu, Paiute, Washoe and Pit River tribes.
From more-distant tribes, the abalone in his wind charms came from the Pomo, a tribe from the coastal areas as well as the Coast Range. Tribes traditionally used abalone as a trading commodity.
On the porch outside the entrance, Marsh Junior High School eighth-grader Haley Hice and her mother, Roxy Hice, operated a table featuring Haley’s creations: intricately beaded items. There wasn’t any tribal significance to the work — only her own ideas.
“Most of it comes from my creativity,” Haley explained. “I try to make all the items go with each other. It takes more time, because I’m sadly a perfectionist.”
“The designs are based more on what I feel. Some of them are simple, with light colors, or with night themes I use blue. It’s just what I feel at the moment.”
