In 1973, I was driving our company vehicle, a Dodge Maxi-Van, on a trip through Colorado to sell jewelry and rugs to some of the stores in the Estes Park and Denver areas.

We were doing business out of the front of my Dad’s Pepsi plant in Durango. At the time, you could never have called us an “upscale” establishment, but we had great rugs and jewelry and people seemed to find us.

The Fall Gallery Walk was founded in 1983 by the four original members of the Durango Gallery Association. Toh-Atin Gallery is the last one standing of the original group and we are happy that the Gallery Association continues to grow in both numbers and quality.

You can spin it anyway you want, but there is nothing like the third week in August in Santa Fe! The town is bustling with energy, and shows featuring the finest in Native American and tribal art are all over town. Every gallery, shop and museum is featuring their best and you get to rub shoulders with the nicest artists and friendliest people in the world!

The most famous of all Pueblo potters is Maria Martinez (1887-1980). She is credited as having created the first contemporary black Pueblo pottery, but in reality, that is not true. They had made black pottery at Santa Clara since the 1600s.

She created the famous "Black on Black" pottery with painted mat black designs on a beautiful black finish.

During the late 1960's and early 1970's, Indian jewelry was incredibly popular. Turquoise and silver jewelry was being turned out by shops in Albuquerque, Gallup, Farmington, Flagstaff and other "border" towns in massive quantities.

The Bandolier bag was first created in the mid-1800's by the Ojibwe people of Northern Minnesota. They are also known as the Chippewa or “Anishinaabe” in their language.

Anthropologists believe they settled in Minnesota in the 1500's and by the 1600's had been in contact with fur trappers who were discovering the rich trapping areas in the Northern Midwest.