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Continued from Page 11toga design. Glass beads and bamboo chips an* 'lie iriiu tor a iiffett I.Hleia miliidress. and leads -fai.-a teal ••veiling dress. H.itiJ-'amied hiukskin pan •! .'ill*•i!ht disigri dial mixesiiainKwiven natural linen and lt;ilk M'immed uilb otter hide and glass head* A ni. da-lioii. integral to ill.-tie sign o| a dint, is made ol iha|inlt;- sli.'il. •ni«l a moke-taunvd IniiA*skin 'Jai l is Irinirmtl with asimple broadcloth collar.'Indians utilized whatever tlicv iiad to adorn themselves. Ilia/ said of I'onea's mixture • 4 maseri-aLs.I’omn uses iinly tin- highest qualilv materials to make her clothing, doing everything |yr« !l irom design to finished piece. I he Irad-s'l-i’h wools worn !» Indians fur skirts, leggings and breech chdli usid in manv i#t Ponca's designs, .list al-ml 7' a van I Toimpart softness and color animal kins an-smokc-tanncd.She also borrows freely Jroiil other American Indian cultures.A creation that INun ;i calls ''l.iinar Orchids is a sluc.vl hand-stitched with pink sitin ribbon and a skirt made of wool Itroad*• ioth with a geometric design that mice signified dilleieiil Indian dans It s beaded with antique cut-glass fiends in floral and grape IMiivriis taken from the Imstern U'olt;xlland tribes, the »Ittowas. lilt* Wu.nelxagos and She Iroquois. The fringe of the shawl is hand-lied silk. I'onca said she added a moon to the traditional design toto make it look flowing and elegantA graduate of the Institute ol American Indian ArtflAlAi. I’n-ca returned there to ipni h two. ami lhive-ditncnsron.il design in I'JSL*. She'.s also studied art in New York and Greece and has a degree in art Irom Uh Kansas City Art Institute.In addition to contemporary design. Ponca makes traditional \merk.m Indian clothing b.it (loess not Icel bound to stay within conventional pm,tinders.The Osage woman's wearing blanket in her shop, worn only during a cereinoin called a giveaway.' hangs easily beside more contemporary fashions.You wear the blanket to honor your family: then you have to give away things, like food, blankets or horses. Ponca said of the tcremo-ny.Another ol Ponca's traditional blankets is a part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute. In her store hangs a traditional Woodl.mdvstyle medicine hag made of ottcihide lined with satin, and trimmed with gold coins, brass fiends, alialnnc and jade.Ponca's Ik'CU sewing and designing since the age nl I ti. The !!(t-ycar-iild designer has refused to give into the commercialism ol making art that is ' Indian art in the eyes of others.Two wall pieces. Spidoi Woman Sells dn;. with plastic spiders and price tags, and Coyote I isils the Land nI the Dead, a coyote skin stretched «n canvas, made by I’onca. are satirical comments on catering to marketplace commercialism.Her intent in opening the new store. Ponca said, is to share her . culture with a commitment to authenticity through the use ol s traditional techniques that, at the | same lime, reflect contemporary . America. ~Ponca said she hopes to change i pre-corn i*i\ ed ideas about Ameri- | can Indian design through her ' fashion and through events planned at the store, including Z ongoing classes m beadwork. ^ Seminole patchwork, pottery and i off-loom weaving. She also plans = to have fashion slmw.s and a living window with live models who draw on the art ol performance in American Indian culture.
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