As Haida Chief Jim Hart and his wife, Rosemary, waited at the Vancouver airport in British Columbia, Canada, last September to greet their guests-a group of Navajo and Pueblo artisans-they were concerned about the rain. Following several unusually sunny weeks, it had been misty and overcast all day. Though this was typical of Northwest Coast weather, the Harts hoped that the evening would be clear and dry to present a favorable first impression. They needn't have worried. Their Southwestern visitors, whose sacred ceremonies focus on prayers for rain, considered the welcoming and gentle "female" rain a great blessing. They were delighted, and an unusual cultural exchange program of two very different peoples began on an auspicious note.

The visit of the Southwestern Indians to British Columbia, as well as an earlier trip in May 2000, when a group of Northwest Coast artists traveled throughout Arizona and New Mexico to meet their counterparts, was sponsored by a private foundation. It grew out of a slide lecture that I presented at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in November 1999. My lecture, delivered during a symposium, "The Legacy of Bill Reid: A Critical Enquiry," related the jewelry of internationally renowned Haida carver and goldsmith Bill Reid (1920-1998) to that of Hopi artist Charles Loloma (1921-1992). Loloma's influence in the Southwest, like Reid's in the Northwest, changed contemporary North American Indian art. Both men were pivotal figures who combined a deep respect for tradition with the ability to transform imagery. Though from widely contrasting societies, they met, in a sense, through the strength of the Indian culture. Each created superb jewelry that reflected his own heritage while evoking a much larger Native worldview.

Slides of the work of Hopi jeweler Verma Nequatewa (Loloma's niece, who was trained by her uncle) and of Navajo jewelers Lee Yazzie and Jesse Monongye-all of which I had shown as an example of Loloma's legacy- stimulated many of the Haida in the audience. They had rarely seen the work of Southwestern artists, and had even less personal contact. Following the lecture, Jim Hart and I conceived the cultural exchange trips as a way of bringing together a small group of highly skilled and talented Haida, Navajo and Pueblo jewelers to learn about each other's art and culture.

The Southwest Trip
Five Haida artists traveled to the Southwest in May 2000: Jim Hart, hereditary chief, carver, goldsmith and painter; Guujaw, a tribal chairman, drummer and singer; Christian White, argillite carver; and two student jewelers, Gwaii Edenshaw and John Bennett. All live in the village of Masset on Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands), the ancestral home of the Haida, except for Hart who commutes between Vancouver and his studio in Masset.

The eight-day journey began with a flight from Vancouver to Phoenix, AZ. There Jesse Monongye and I, with Robert Kasal-the group's guide and driver for the trip-met the Haida artists. That evening, Jesse and Marquetta Monongye gave a welcoming party at their Scottsdale home. After a tour and reception at the Heard Museum, the group departed for Sedona with stops at Bill Garland's rug and jewelry galleries.

A trip to the Flagstaff area included a tour of the Northern Arizona Museum-where the group met artists Michael Kabotie, Steve LaRance and Marian Denipah-and hiking in the Grand Canyon. At Hopi, they had lunch with Verma Nequatewa at her Hotevilla studio and home atop Third Mesa. A trip to Walpi was followed by dinner with Tribal Chairman Wayne Taylor at the Hopi Cultural Center.

After a stop at Hubbell Trading Post, the group traveled to Zuni Pueblo, met painter Alex Seowtowa at the Mission Church and visited the studios of jewelers Myron Panteah, Carlton Jamon, and Veronica Poblano; fetish carver Faye Quandelacy; and kachina carver Wilmer Kaye. Priscilla and Wilmer Kaye provided dinner. An unplanned highlight was watching about one hundred costumed and masked Zuni dancers perform the social Navajo Squaw Dance on the plaza.
From Zuni, they drove to Gallup, had breakfast with traders Joe and Cindy Tanner, and spent time with artists Lee Yazzie, Raymond and Colina Yazzie, Chester Kahn, Darryl Begay and Vernon Haskie. At his studio, Lee described his personal journey to his own artistic achievement. Lunch at Yazzie's Indian Arts was hosted by gallery owners Raymond and Colina. The group then went to Tanner's Indian Arts. The day ended with dinner at the Tanners' home, attended by all of the artists. In the courtyard, Guujaw and Christian drummed and sang, much as they had every evening.

Following Gallup, the group visited Acoma Pueblo and Sky City where they were hosted by potters Melvin and Marietta Juanico, and greeted by the council chairman. After a pottery demonstration and meal at the Juanicos' the group flew back to British Columbia via Albuquerque.

The Pacific Northwest Coast Trip
We organized the Southwesterners' trip to the Haida territory around the raising of a new totem pole honoring Bill Reid and the Haida people in Vancouver on October 1, 2000. Jim Hart was commissioned by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia to design and carve the pole.

Ten Southwestern artists made the journey: Marian Denipah (Tewa and Navajo), jeweler and painter; Vernon Haskie (Navajo) jeweler; Carlton Jamon (Zuni) jeweler, print artist and gallery owner; Chester Kahn (Navajo), jeweler and painter; Steve LaRance (Hopi), sculptor; James Little (Navajo), jeweler; Jesse Lee Monongye (Navajo), jeweler; Myron Panteah (Zuni), jeweler; Veronica Poblano (Zuni), jeweler; and Lee Yazzie (Navajo), jeweler.

The group arrived in Vancouver several days before the pole raising. This allowed time for exploring the city and galleries and for interacting with Hart and the other Haida carvers as they worked on the "Respect to Bill Reid Pole."

The Harts held a welcoming dinner at their home to introduce everyone. Gifts were exchanged, followed by much warm and honest conversation, setting the tone for the entire trip. Monongye recalls, "The people were there with open arms to receive us. [The Southwestern artists] experienced an openness with each other. All praised each other, and felt thankful to be together."

On Sunday afternoon, the group joined hundreds of others to assist in moving and raising the pole by hand and with ropes. It was a powerful and exhilarating experience. After the pole was raised, there was dancing, drumming, feasting and gift giving to celebrate the event. The day ended with a visit to the Bill Reid Studio.

The group then flew to Haida Gwaii and the two Haida villages of Skidegate and Masset. They saw whales, seals and eagles during a chartered flight to Nan Sdins, the sacred Haida site located on SGaang Gwaii (Wailing Island), at the southern edge of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. Simultaneously, all were appalled to see the indiscriminate clear-cut logging damage in the old forests.

At the Haida Gwaii Museum, the group saw an exhibition of Victoria Moody's traditional and contemporary cedarbark weaving, and visited carvers who were working with five poles. A banquet was held at "Keenawii's Kitchen" (Roberta Olsen's home) situated above the intertidal beach overlooking Skidegate Inlet.

Using machinery donated by Monongye, the Southwestern artists conducted lapidary and metalsmithing workshops in both Skidegate and Masset. A great meal of moose steaks was enjoyed at Joyce Bennett's home, where Monongye joked she was making up for the roe-on-seaweed dinner the group had been served earlier.

Above: the blessing of the pole; carrying the pole; Left, Jesse Monongye wearing a traditional Haida hat woven of cedar bark; Lower right, shelling on SGaang Gwaii; Upper right, carving detail.

During their last evening on Haida Gwaii, the group attended a memorial potlatch in Skidegate for the late Miles Richardson Sr., a tribal leader and elder. "The Memorial Service stands out in my mind," recalls Monongye. "Chiefs were there from other Nations. Guujaw sang and played the drums. Christian put on a great performance. There was a sense of the spirit being there. It touched us so deeply."

Looking Back
Were the trips successful? From my own observations, and after hearing from most participants on both trips, I believe they were. They worked because the artists shared, and because they were equals. The idea of the program is to build bridges between the Native peoples as well as between the Native and non-Native worlds-to create a dialogue through the arts. It was especially important for the Southwestern artists, who tend to work in isolation in their studios, to see the group effort behind the carving and raising of the totem.

Monongye told me, "Right off the bat we bonded. A few things happened along the way that I think were very beautiful. Having artisans of the same tribes getting to know each other, finding the inner self, what each was made up of.

"Within one's self, there is a calling, a longing for other traditions. It automatically just sets in. In Masset, Lee spoke at a school, and according to Veronica, there wasn't a dry eye. Everyone was very impressed with his speaking. He told the children that they must learn their traditions and hold on to them.

"When I first heard of this trip, I didn't think that it would be so great. It worked both ways. Jim and Guujaw were willing to give whatever they had learned. From all of us, there is a willingness to be open with each other. It is wonderful to see how much Jim Hart cares about his people. I learned a lot about that. Now I'd give anything to be with them. That's why I'm going up [to Haida Gwaii] in June with my children for another pole raising. I'm paying a visit to be with them.

"Why did this happen on this trip? Because respect towards each other was acknowledged. I keep thinking to myself, it's the beginning of a great blessing to have these tribes coming together and exchanging culture with each other. Jim spent time talking with the governor of Zuni about their needs. Things are set in motion and it's real. Now, it's a natural feeling between each other."

Notes Lee Yazzie, "I suppose that I am influenced by how the Haida used their creatures-raven, bear. I saw a lot of artists and how we do things differently. It made me aware of a lot of other things in our surroundings, such as animals. The trip was wonderful. It got us out of our small world." He was especially taken with Reid's 22-karat gold eagle box on display at the Museum of Anthropology. He has always wanted to make a box. Now, perhaps he will.

Chester Kahn adds, "To experience the arts, the life-ways, and the spirit of these unique people of Queen Charlotte Island and the region was awesome and spiritually uplifting. This will have a lasting effect, not only on the participants, but on the artists of the future."

Similar emotions were stirred on the Haida side. Jim Hart, his son Gwaliga, John Bennett and Nika Collison (Bill Reid's granddaughter and assistant carver on the Bill Reid pole) went to Zuni for the Shalako ceremony in December. Hart notes, "We just hit it off with those people. For us it was fabulous. What is actually going on is the exchange we are giving to each other, not just in jewelry but in outlooks. It was quite amazing. We went down to their country. They came up to ours. And we went down again for an occasion."

"When they came to visit us, what happened afterwards was a period of digestion. Things are now just starting to come through in a nice direction for me. And I found out afterwards that a lot of people who came up to the island and went back kind of stopped working for a while during that digestion period. Just to enjoy what happened. It's all mulling around in their minds. It's coming out in different ways. Veronica's going through all kinds of things. Last night she called. She was talking about different design ideas. I'm anxious to see what she's up to. But it's not just in jewelry and art. It's a way of life, in a sense. Things are now coming out."

Lois Sherr Dubin of New York City is the author of North American Indian Jewelry & Adornment (Harry N. Abrams, 1999) and is a well-known curator.