Before & after, 1 week after indian market
Every year, it comes and goes. The deep anticipation of seeing friends and rubbing elbows with Natives who are somebody, the hot and spicy reality of a $40 parking space and the food stand running out of frybread when it's your turn to order on a 98°F day. The disappointment of getting side eye from the artist you wanted to meet or watching an actor get 86'd from the bars.
I mean, I am jaded and maybe things aren't that bleak. I grew up in O'ga P'ogeh and I know it well. I know the mountains and the weather patterns, the secret soft spots and hidden walls. When you know the underbelly of a place, become a member of the service working class, incoming artists gushing about Santa fancy just doesn't hit the way they thought it did.
street art seen at Santa Fe Indian Market 2026
Indian Market started as a part of the early 20th century push to turn Santa Fe into a tourist destination, first bringing people by rail and then by car. This campaign was an attempt to Americanize the brown people already living here and benefit from the exoticification of tribal people here since the beginning of time. It created a myth of Spanish supremacy around mixed blood immigrants who had already been tending to the land for centuries.
I definitely don’t rule out the fact that there is innovation and important connections happening. Every year there are shows, gatherings and the Pathways Market that seem more down to earth and center the growth of Native art culture. Still, the main market is operating under the eye of the collector, the Euro American standards of what creations deserve attention. The hierarchy it creates remains unappealing and outdated. It doesn't look like the system is going to change any time soon but it remains open for critique. I encourage artists to push the limits of what is considered acceptable Native Art, and to create some unacceptable art in the process. For fun.
I have been keeping an eye on the street art that pops up around this time of year. An attempt to tear away a rogue poster reading “The world is on fire, meet me at market!” solidifies the importance of consumer values to the beholder, rather than simply acknowledging the tongue in cheek commentary of the artist.
Other posters, disturbingly, torn down celebrate our queer and trans relatives.
Lastly, if you are a Native artist or a Native fan or Native art, remember that just because someone has a name or is in a gallery or is on social media wearing thousands of dollars of designer clothes and jewelry, that doesn’t mean they are somebody. We are all somebody already, our ancestors and future generations are somebody.
The art you make and the voices you support can change our culture for something positive that all Indigenous people can celebrate and benefit from <3
