Vans shoes with Pendleton designs

Vans Pendleton Shoes were 'Hottest Shoes in NDN Country' at Chicago Powwow

By Levi RickertTodd Harder, Creek, a young energetic entrepreneur, brought seven people with him to sell 500 pairs of limited edition of Vans Pendleton shoes at the 58th Annual Chicago Powwow at Navy Pier this past weekend.

It was a good thing he brought the help because the Vans "Off the Wall" booth was busy throughout the weekend.

The limited edition shoes are made by Vans with geometric designs provided by Pendleton. The shoes are touted as the "hottest shoes in NDN Country."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Echo-Hawk Partners with Nike and Nike Signs Tahnee Robinson.

History of the Indian trade blanket

A Slate slide show discusses why "Navajo," "Native American," and "Indian" prints seem to be everywhere these days. And their connection to genuine Native culture, if any. The following slide describes the origin of Navajo rugs.

The Strange History of the Indian Trade Blanket

By Julia FelsenthalThe rise of the notion of the cozy corner proved fortuitous for Native American artisans, too. Enterprising traders saw a new niche they could ask Navajo weavers in their territories to fill: a market for Navajo rugs. Traders encouraged the Navajo to begin rug weaving (which they had never done), by showing them examples of Middle Eastern rugs for inspiration; the result was that the Navajo began to incorporate some of those Middle Eastern motifs into their new, unprecedentedly thick textiles. So as white Americans were making blankets that were supposed to look authentically Native American for a largely Native American market, Native Americans were making textiles tailored to white use for white people.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Pendleton's White Buffalo Blankets and Pendleton Spreads Native Designs.

Pendleton's white buffalo blankets

Central Oregon white buffalo herd featured on special Pendleton blanket

By Richard CockleThe herd is set to gain some new notoriety. Pendleton Woolen Mills is making Navajo-style "medicine blankets" using wool and blended white buffalo hair that the bison have shed. The blankets are new this season and the mill tentatively plans a second, larger run for 2011, says spokesman Robert Christnacht.

"It's a unique story, it's a feel-good story in some ways," Christnacht says. "I'm hopeful we might be able to make up to 200 of the blankets" in the coming year.
And:Hait also is the one who conceived the idea last spring of having Pendleton Woolen Mills weave the blankets using the white buffalo shed hair. "My wife and kids said, 'What are you smoking?'" when he told them he was taking a bag of shed hair to Woolen Mills President C.M. "Mort" Bishop.

The blankets retail for $520 each, including shipping. The first 11 blankets are special collectibles costing $5,250 each and have the name of one of the 11 white buffalo on them. Four have sold. The blanket sales help underwrite the land rental and hay purchases by the nonprofit Sacred World Peace Alliance directed by Hart-Button that operates the white buffalo sanctuary.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Pendleton Spreads Native Designs and A Century of Pendleton Blankets.

Below:  "Rare white buffalo commune on a sanctuary in central Oregon. When a bison is confined, the corrals must be both high and stout. A buffalo that decides to leave can jump over an ordinary 6-foot-high fence or crash through it." (Richard Cockle/The Oregonian)

Pendleton spreads Native designs

Adrienne Keene talks about the cultural appropriation of Pendleton blankets in her Native Appropriations blog:

Let's Talk About Pendleton[R]ecently, Pendleton prints and fabrics have started popping up everywhere. It started with Opening Ceremony's Pendleton line in 2010, and now Urban Outfitters has started carrying a Pendelton line, celebrities are wearing Pendleton coats, and Native-themed home decor is apparently all the rage. Now Pendleton has announced their newest collaboration, The Portland Collection, which fashion blogs are proclaiming will be the big thing for 2011.She has mixed feelings about this trend, noting Pendleton's long association with Natives:It's almost a symbiotic relationship--they saw a market in Native communities, and Native communities stepped up and bought, traded, and sold the blankets, incorporating them into "traditional" cultural activities. Pendleton has also maintained close ties with Native communities and causes, making commemorative blankets for organizations like the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Indian Education Association. They work with Native artists to design the special edition blankets, and even donate some of the proceeds to the causes.

But then, on the other hand, they go off and do things like design a $5000 blanket with White Buffalo hair, which many tribes consider extremely sacred and definitely off-limits to commercial sale.

I do appreciate Pendleton's relationship with Native communities. I love my blankets, and love even more what they represent.

However, seeing hipsters march down the street in Pendleton clothes, seeing these bloggers ooh and ahh over how "cute" these designs are, and seeing non-Native models all wrapped up in Pendleton blankets makes me upset. It's a complicated feeling, because I feel ownership over these designs as a Native person, but on a rational level I realize that they aren't necessarily ours to claim.Comment:  Given the key facts:

1) Pendleton's designs are based on Native colors and patterns. I don't think they've appropriated any special symbols or designs. (Only the white-buffalo blankets seem questionable.)

2) Pendleton has been making blankets for a century with the wholehearted support of Indians. I don't think anyone has seriously argued that these blankets are cultural theft.

I'd say the Pendleton blankets and the hipster fashions are okay. They fall into an acceptable category of cultural appropriation--same as my "Fighting Terrorism Since 1492" t-shirt.

For more on Pendleton, see Premo Designs Commemorative Blanket and A Century of Pendleton Blankets.

Below:  A Pendleton Santa Fe Jacket from Urban Outfitters.

Premo designs commemorative blanket

An e-mail from June 2009:Hello Robert!

I just wanted to share with you officially that NIEA has chosen a winner for its Pendleton 40th Anniversary Commemorative Blanket; Steve Premo!

I hope you can post this and share on your respected web site. Below is a link to a photo of the winning artwork. It is good for your type of blog, if you need a larger file, I would be happy to give that to you as well.The National Indian Education Association is pleased to announce that Steve Premo (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is our exclusive designer for the 40th Annual NIEA Pendleton Commemorative Blanket.

Those who entered submitted dazzling paintings and designs—so difficult was the task of choosing among such diverse and beautiful works.

Steve Premo’s design is special to NIEA. With forty points circling the logo, it proudly shares the many years that the membership organization has brought together to discuss Native education issues. Steve Premo is a well-respected artist with a distinctive style who paints with bold and deliberate colors.

“Although not as complex as other entries, Steve Premo’s artwork expressed strong meaning that was well thought out. He told our story with symbols and colors with such respect and conviction. We found that the most compelling,” Robert Cook, NIEA President said.

The education community is truly honored by the effort put forth by the participants in this contest. NIEA thanks all who entered and appreciate greatly the work and time spent on the wonderful pieces of art for the education community and the founding history of the National Indian Education Association.

The blanket will be given to Pendleton Woolen Mills Company. Compensation for the winning design included a $2,500.00 cash prize, one round-trip airfare to the NIEA convention in Milwaukee, October 22-25, 2009, a two nights stay at the NIEA”s host hotel the Hilton Milwaukee, and an unveiling of the winning work during the opening General Assembly Session of the convention.

Michael Woestehoff (Navajo)
Membership and Communications
NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
110 Maryland Ave NW Ste 104 Washington, DC 20002
mwoestehoff@niea.org
(202) 544-7290
www.niea.org

"It's a Good Day to be Educated."Comment:  I just noticed this e-mail in my inbox. Oh, well...better late than never!

Nice design by Premo. I didn't see the other entries, but this one looks like a winner to me.

FYI, Premo did the artwork for A HERO'S VOICE and DREAMS OF LOOKING UP, the two comic books the Mille Lac Band of Ojibwe published in the 1990s.

For more on Premo, see Mural Commemorates Ojibwe Rescuer.

A century of Pendleton blankets

Pendleton celebrates 100 years with ‘Weaving America’s Spirit Since 1909’Pendleton Woolen Mill’s bright woolen Native-designed blankets, prized for their quality and designs, had their beginnings in 1909 when the Bishop family rebuilt the original woolen mill in Pendleton, Ore., a major railhead town overlooking the grand Columbia River and Columbia Basalt Plateau, creating an enduring Native legacy. In honor of that anniversary, Pendleton is celebrating 100 years with “Weaving America’s Spirit Since 1909.”

Pendleton’s relationship with Native Americans goes back to “day one,” says Bob Christnacht, division manager for their home line. “Our original designer, Joe Rawnsley, lived with the Native Americans for six to nine months at a time. From his early design work we developed our most enduring designs.”And:The colorful-yet-practical blankets are widely popular with Native Americans, who prize them for their ceremonial use, and incorporate them into daily life. Pendleton in turn considers Native Americans their original and most valued customers. “We recognize how important a part our blankets play in Native Americans’ lives,” Christnacht said. “They are very much a large part of this company. More than half our sales are to Native Americans.”Below:  "Since 1909 Pendleton Woolen Mills has been producing high-quality blankets that have become collectibles, tradition, memories and more for Natives and non-Natives. This year the company, seen here in 1909, is celebrating its 100th anniversary."