I would like to welcome you to Rez work Art. A website that will educate you and hopefully inspire you to see the value in what native peoples, all across the globe, share a deep connection with the world we’ve been entrusted.
Wilbert Seciwa , Zuni Pueblo Artist
I believe…
The Creator made us spiritual beings to long for a relationship of harmony with Him. I believe that with all my heart, the Creator hears my prayers and petitions. I maintain the traditional understanding that we as humans are charged with taking care of this earth and that the Creator made all its inhabitants with special design and purpose. It is my hope and prayer that this traditional art form will lead you to seek to be closer to your Creator, Higher Power, Great Spirit or God whichever that may be.
In my early days…
As a youth my uncle brought me to a camp on the Worm Spring Reservation in central Oregon where I received my first instructions on the power of bone and the stringing of beads. Although I was only 9 years of age and the camp was for teenagers, I was allowed to stay. I was not allowed to participate in the camp’s official activities and became somewhat of a mascot. There was a spiritual leader that I became friends with and grew to respect. He taught me to make my first bone choker, which I was not allowed to keep. It had to be a gift, only then it would have spirit and powers given to it. While I made the choker we sang the songs and recited the prayers that go along with molding something that will be a source of pride and honor. His teaching allowed me to realize that we are all men and women connected despite our backgrounds, color, or our religious upbringing. To sum up what he taught me is “it is not the blood of a man that makes him a man, but the condition of his spirit that defines him.” It was a great honor to receive as a gift my very own 5-row choker in recent years.