We're throwing a sale to kick off the end of summer. Jewelry is 10-50% off and Rugs are 10% off through Labor Day. So take a stroll down NW 23rd to Bonnie Kahn's (air conditioned) Wild West Gallery!

Stewards of the Land

It seems these days we can not escape hearing about the sad state of the environment. Here at Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery we'd prefer to do something about it! So here it is, our new ambition, "Six Months to Save the Planet" a series of lectures, workshops and shows inspired by how we can learn from Native Traditions to become stewards of the Earth.

First Thursday on August 6th two tribal elders will discuss how to save our Earth using Native ways. Darlene Foster/Warm Springs will discuss her inherited role as a food gatherer for the Warm Springs Tribe. Linda Meanus/Warm Springs is the great granddaughter of Chief Tommy Thompson and his wife Flora from Celilo Falls. Raised in a traditional manner, she will share her knowledge of how to be a care-taker of the Earth.

The lecture is from 5-7PM and is FREE! Please RSVP so we can be sure to have enough chairs!

Also on view will be a collection of Native American Basketry, Photography, and the collection of Brad Torson.

See you there!

Workshop this Sunday on Keeping the Element Earth

The second installment of our Keeping the Elements workshop series about EARTH is taking place this Sunday from 11-4. At the gallery. Join us with Shelley Jones to learn how to strengthen our connection to the EARTH using old traditions. She will cover animal and plant allies and sacred herbs and their uses.

Please book your spot by calling the gallery! 503.293.9414

Now offering classes and readings!

We have plans to start offering numerous workshops and classes at the gallery.

To start, Shelley Jones will be offering Medicine Card and Viking Rune readings on select Wednesday evenings. She will also be teaching a workshop series, "Walking The Beauty Way"

Shelley L. Jones, PhD, RN is a registered nurse, long-time teacher, herbalist, healing touch practitioner, and Reiki master. She has studied with many teachers, including Oh Shinnah Fast Wolf (an Apache warrior woman) and Cascade Anderson Geller (internationally known herbalist and teacher). She has been working with crystals as therapeutic tools for more than 20 years. She teaches and counsels about uses of medicinal herbs. She is a ceremonial leader and teacher for a Portland area Moon Ceremony circle that has met monthly outside in the tradition of the Tineh (Apache) for more than 20 years. She is a minister of the Universal Life Church. She walks the path of The Beauty Way.


The Beauty Way Workshop Series
The Beauty Way is a way of walking on this earth in a lifestyle of caring and love for all that has been given to us as the "two-leggeds". Embracing this walk involves a commitment to Mother Earth and all our relations. The joy of this walk is an opportunity fo rlife-long learning on a variety of topics. The responsibility is freely-given serice and making a difference in the world. The workshops of The Beauty Way combine teachings, activities & ceremony


Mark Your Calendars:

Keeping the Elements - Fire
Sunday June 7th 11-4 @ the gallery
The element FIRE in our livesPreparing for sacred FireSite PreparationBuilding and Tending Sacred Fire

Keeping the Elements - Earth
Sunday July 19th 11-4@ the gallery
Strengthening Our EARTH ConnectionWorking with Our Plant and Animal AlliesSacred Herbs and Their UsesUnderstanding the Stone People

Keeping the Elements - Water
Sunday August 23rd
@ a special location on the river!
Finding the Spaces BetweenScrying and IntuitionAllies of the Element WateWater Ceremonies
Keeping the Elements - AirSunday, Spet. 20 11-4@ the galleryDescribing the Realm of AIRThe WInds of ChangeTools for Using Air in daily Life, Including PendulumsAllies of the Element AIR
Cost of each workshop is $100. To sign up please call us at the gallery! 503.293.9414

Medicine Card and Viking Runes Readings
All humans have been gifted with intuition or innate knowing. In this time of very hurried living, many do not take the time to listen to this innate sense as a help to living their lives. Consciousness comes with practice, experience, and support from others. Over the years, many have used oracles to make a bridge to consciousness to expand their ideas for living. Each person's pathway is their own.

Shelley Jones has used the Medicine Cards (authored by Jamie Sams and David Carson) and the Viking Runes as bridges for intuitiv support. She offers to be your guide in a private reading session to help you gather new awareness from animal allies and the stone beings. in listeing to your self, new ideas and information for decisions may be possible. You choose the direction of your own reading.

Medicine Card Lifetime Spread - a one time draw to learn about the nine animal allies that surround you - a focus on your talents, skills and challenges (about 75 minutes)

Medicine Card Pathway Spread - gives overall information about your life path (about 60 minutes)

Medicine Card Medicine Wheel Spread - reflections of your personality (about 60 minutes)

Rune Draws for Situational Issues - a focus on a specific question, combining work with the Medicine Cards.

Readings cost $60-$75
Call us to schedule an appointment!
503.293.9414

Zuni Fetishes and Select Jewelry 20% Off Through May for Mother's Day!

Through the month of May we will be offering Zuni Fetishes and select jewelry at 20% off for Mother's Day. All jewelry will be at least 10% off. You can view a sampling of our jewelry and fetish inventory online but there is much more at the gallery, so please stop by and say hello!

Currently Looking for Items to Consign and or Purchase!

At Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery we are always looking for unique items of quality to purchase and consign. Here is a list of some of the things we are looking for:

-Native American baskets
-Old Pawn Natural Turquoise Jewelry
-Old Pawn Native American Silver Jewelry
-Native American Beadwork
-Navajo Rugs
-Northwest Coast Masks and Sculpture
-Native American Photographs and Negatives
-Rodeo Photography pre-1930
-Native American Dolls
-Native American Pottery
-Western Horse regalia, bits. etc.
-Noted Northwest and Southwest Artist's paintings.

If you have any of these items that you are looking to sell please call us! 503.293.9414

Educational Forum on the Leonard Peltier Case

Barbara Dills from the Oregon Friends of Leonard Peltier was in yesterday and dropped off a flyer for an educational forum being held at Portland State University next month.

Leonard Crow Dog will be a featured speaker. He is a traditional Lakota Chief, spiritual leader, and veteran of Wounded Knee 1973. They will be discussing why this case matters and should not be forgotten.

For more information on Leonard Peltier's case please visit www.whoisleonardpeltier.info.

The event will be held at the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University on the corner of SW Broadway and Jackson, May 20th, 2009 7:00PM. Their info line is 503.234.6531

Spotlight on Native American Basketry

Through May the gallery is featuring several quality historical baskets from a private collection. One basket we are very excited about is this Chehalis Basket depicting Chinese Railroad workers from the 1880s.

We found this cross-cultural documentation of history very intriguing, and did some research into the relationship of the Chinese Rail Workers to Native Americans. We came across a very informative article by Kerry Brinkerhoff, Forest Ranger at Golden Spike. He outlines how dramatically the railroads affected the lives of Native Americans.

On July 1, 1862, The Pacific Railway Act was passed. In order to give the Union Pacific Railroad Company rights to build the railway it stated that "The United States shall extinguish as rapidly as may be the Indian titles to all lands falling under the operation of this act..." Col. Connor and 700 Volunteers were sent from California to Utah to clear the way. Col. Connor and his volunteers killed many Native Americans. On Jan. 29, 1863, the same month that the Central Pacific would break ground, The Bear River massacre took place, where Col. Connor and his California Volunteers surrounded a Shoshone tribe and massacred over 450 men, women and children.

Needing cheap labor, in many cases The Union Pacific would hire Native Americans to work alongside the Chinese. Many of the workers they hired were Native American women who were drastically underpaid at 15 cents per hour in comparison to the men who were paid $1 an hour. The railroad formed a close alliance with the Pawnee tribe, even paying them to stage battles and war dances along the railway for tourists.

The Northern Pacific Railway cuts directly through Chehalis. No doubt, the creation of this railroad dramatically impacted the lives of the Chehalis, as outsiders were brought in and cities sprung up. This basket is an important artifact in the documentation of this history.

You can read Kerry Brinkerhoff's complete article here: http://www.nps.gov/archive/gosp/history/Native_American_RR.html


On a side note, Bonnie is also very interested in the relationship between Native American culture and The Freemasons. If you have any information or art work exploring this relationship give us a call!

Introduction

Hello everyone! Welcome to the blog for Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery LLC. This is where you can get the most up to date information on what we have in the gallery, and events within the Portland Native American communities. We plan to update frequently so please check back often and feel free to suggest topics for us to write about!