Native American Art

The author of 18 spellbinding detective novels set on the Navajo Nation, Tony Hillerman simultaneously transformed a traditional genre and unlocked the mysteries of the Navajo culture to an audience of millions. His best-selling novels added Navajo Tribal Police detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee to the pantheon of American fictional detectives.

It was one of the most reliable jokes in Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine: “My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate problem.” In We Had a Little Real Estate Problem, acclaimed comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff focuses on one of comedy’s most significant and little-known stories: how, despite having been denied representation in the entertainment industry, Native Americans have influenced and advanced the art form.

When Pegasus Quincy, sheriff’s deputy, steps into the leaky rowboat to investigate a murder at a mysterious artists’ colony, her troubles have just begun. A new detective blames Peg when she gets snake bit. A friend gets caught in a drug raid and asks Peg’s assistance. Her new roomie monopolizes the kitchen, until Peg’s coonhound Reckless eats too many French macarons. And then there is the cat lady who accuses Peg of stealing a valuable painting. Surely Peg wouldn’t do that, would she? Join Pegasus Quincy as she delves into the nefarious underworld of art auctions, mid-century ...

At four years old, Ria Thundercloud was brought into the powwow circle, ready to dance in the special jingle dress her mother made for her. As she grew up, she danced with her brothers all over Indian country. Then Ria learned more styles—tap, jazz, ballet—but still loved the expressiveness of Indigenous dance. And despite feeling different as one of the only Native American kids in her school, she always knew she could turn to dance to cheer herself up.

When art conservator Chloe Harper is called to examine vandalized paintings of Seabrook's historic lighthouse, she expects a routine case of mindless destruction. Instead, she discovers the first thread in a century-ole mystery that will test her skills far beyond art restoration. The lighthouse is being renovated by wealthy developer Marcus Parker, whose family has dominated Seabrook for generations. But when the vandalism reveals connections to Parker's great-grandfather and a mysterious mermaid lamp, Chloe realizes someone is desperately trying to either expose or protect secrets hidden ...

Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as US poet laureate, invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her "poet-warrior" road. A musical, kaleidoscopic, and wise follow-up to Crazy Brave, Poet Warrior reveals how Harjo came to write poetry of compassion and healing, poetry with the power to unearth the truth and demand justice.

In the enchanting city of Santa Fe, on the cusp of the renowned Indian Market, Chef Dani Rosetti finds herself in the midst of art, allure, and alarming schemes. Contracted to cater a lavish dinner for America's elite Native American art collectors, the evening promises opulence and cultural splendor. But behind the scenes, a storm of intrigue brews. Art dealers, a revered Native American artist, and an enigmatic art dealer from New York named Julian Schimmer, who allegedly sold counterfeit art to several attending guests, make up the eclectic guest list. As Dani's astute sous-chef and ...

In 1836 in East Texas, nine-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Comanches. She was raised by the tribe and eventually became the wife of a warrior. Twenty-four years after her capture, she was reclaimed by the U.S. cavalry and Texas Rangers and restored to her white family, to die in misery and obscurity. Cynthia Ann's story has been told and re-told over generations to become a foundational American tale.

In the mid-1890s, the lives of three remarkable individuals converged at the Ben and Lela Robert’s ranch in Cascade, Montana, setting the stage for an epic saga. Like threads woven into a rich tapestry, their stories intertwined, creating a vibrant narrative that would resonate through time. Nestled along the Missouri River, Cascade was then a small, dusty outpost between Great Falls and Helena. The first to arrive at the Robert’s ranch was Josephine Wright. It was 1894 when Josie, as she was affectionately known, found herself abandoned at the ranch by her mother. At just 11 years old,...

Using the story of Raven and the Box of Daylight (and relating it to Sun Tzu’s equally timeless Art of War) to deepen her narration and reflection, Hayes expresses an ongoing frustration and anger at the obstacles and prejudices still facing Alaska Natives in their own land, but also recounts her own story of attending and completing college in her 50s and becoming a professor and a writer.

Born in 1925, Maria Tallchief spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. With the support of her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina.

A tragedy sends Joseph Silver Hawk back to the Indian reservation, but it won't be easy. He was raised in New York and that's what he knows. John Stand's Proud, his father, spent 13 years in prison. He never raised children, let alone two teenage boys. Seth Lone Wolf lived on the reservation all his life and doesn't want anything to do with Joseph. Can they live in the same house to try and honor their mother's last wish? Aside from the fact that they don't know one another, Joseph struggles as a recovering addict from drug and alcohol abuse. He has severe PTSD and suffers from reoccurring ...

The night before returning home from a trip to the Grand Canyon, artist Parke Higgins dreams of riding a black and white horse through a hail of bullets. In this dream world, a mysterious Native American woman captivates Parke. And in the waking world, he can’t forget her, her stunning horse, or that thrilling ride across the New Mexico landscape. While his wife waits in the car, Parke stops at a reservation trading post and buys an ancient jade dagger. Its origins are a mystery, but the jade dagger gets hot when he touches it. Back in his art studio in St. Louis, when the jade dagger ...

During the early twentieth century, the American government’s standing expectation was that Native Americans should be adopting Western customs. In the face of that prospect, anthropologist and musicologist Frances Densmore sought to preserve Native American culture—particularly as it was expressed through music. In her extensive writings on Native American lifestyles, music, and history, Densmore opened a window onto American experiences that had been obscured by stereotypes, and encouraged a better appreciation of the varied traditions of tribes nationwide.

A sequel to the award-winning CHRISTMAS AT GREY SAGE. Maude and Silas, owners of Grey Sage, are busy making their guests’ experiences memorable ones. But a series of unsettling events has disturbed the serenity at the inn. Nestled in the aspen and pine-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, Grey Sage is the ideal place for artists and writers. It’s late September, and Lily’s group of art students from Chicago has come for a retreat. Drake Dodson, a screenwriter, is there to write, and Dr. Boots Boone, a professor on sabbatical doing research in Native American culture and ...

Ophaned at an early age, Susanna Warren was raised by her grandfather to love the mountains and respect the Native American customs. She is excited when she receives an assignment that would bring her home to her beloved Sierra Nevada Mountains to work as an archeologist and historian for the Native American Branch of the Smithsonian Institute. Her job is to search for areas the Washoe visited and document any rock art or artifacts in the area. But her first day on the mountain, she inadvertently steps into the path of thieves caught in the act of stealing rock art. A shotgun blast narrowly...

Joseph Silver Hawk Argent is on the run. He's running from the cops and an ancient prophecy that he doesn't want anything to do with. He's seventeen, a leader of the Los Caballeros street gang and even though he's Native American, he doesn't want any part of where he came from. A Holy man has pegged Joseph or Cheetah, as his friends call him, as a warrior who lived during the days of Crazy Horse but Joseph lives in New York. He wants nothing to do with his past or a past life that he doesn't care about. Frank Belger is the cop who only cares about one thing. He's determined to catch the ...

It was in Brooklyn, New York, in 1883 that William F. Cody - known across the land as Buffalo Bill - conceived of his Wild West show, an "equestrian extravaganza" featuring cowboys and Indians. The idea took off. For four months in 1885, the Lakota chief Sitting Bull appeared in the show. Blood Brothers tells the story of these two iconic figures through their brief but important collaboration.

What price do you put on a collection that can only be sold on the black market? Was the old desert rat murdered for his? Randy Jones had a secret collection of Native American artifacts he needed to be appraised immediately. But how do you put a price tag on an illegal collection? That’s the dilemma Marty Morgan finds herself in when she meets Randy. It’s a meeting that involves murder – Randy’s. Join Marty, her boyfriend Detective Jeff, her psychic sister, Laura, and her black Labrador, Duke, who wears pink booties on the desert floor, as they search for the killer before he ...

Jane Teaberry hopes her life will settle down after all the trouble she found last summer. She moves into her college dorm with her friend, Peaches Parker, and just as they are settling into college life, one of the students is attacked during a break-in at the Archaeology lab where Peaches’ dad works. Two sand paintings from a recent dig in New Mexico are missing and Jane is determined to find out why. On the way to the library to learn more about them, someone pushes Jane out in front of a car. Trouble follows the girls when Jane, Peaches, and her cousin Ashley go on a road trip out ...