Niko DeRoin-Davidson (Otoe-Missouria/ Choctaw) wears an Otoe-style dress made of elk skin. The dress was a high school graduation gift from her family. The dress and all the beadwork were made by her uncle, Charles Johnson (Otoe), an extended family member. The snowflake patterns on the beadwork are each different; as is true in nature, no two are alike. Many Southern Plains women wear a breastplate with their outfit, but DeRoin-Davidson wears an old-style Otoe necklace made of bone, beads and coins. Her mother made her moccasins, shawl, purse and belt. The crown was made by a friend, George Desjarlais (Cree), from Alberta. As she says, "Quite a few people contributed to the making of the outfit, which is kind of like my life; everyone has contributed something to it." DeRoin-Davidson has been dancing since age one and a half. She has danced jingle and fancy shawl, but prefers southern traditional and gourd dance for their grace and power. Dancing at powwows is a big part of her life. "I always remember what I was taught when I was first learning to dance," she shares, "and that is to always stay humble and dance for those who can't."

Happy Frejo (Pawnee/Seminole) wears a traditional-style Seminole outfit made by her auntie, Ruby Lena (Seminole) of Wewoka, Oklahoma. Both the cape and skirt would traditionally be made of cotton fabric, but here Lena chose purple lamé for a dressier and more contemporary look. Earlier capes were often much shorter, exposing the midriff. The full skirt, floor length and gathered around the waist, is a stunning example of Seminole patchwork. Patchwork, piecing together many small pieces of cloth to form a larger one, originated in the late 1800s out of necessity but quickly became a competitive art form and subsequent tourist attraction. The introduction of the sewing machine in the early 20th century revolutionized patchwork, allowing for more complex designs to be accomplished in less time. The glass beads Frejo wears represent the earlier fashion of wearing as much as 10 pounds of glass beads over the cape. Frejo is a performance artist, dancer, singer/songwriter, poet and aspiring actress. She teaches dance on reservations and to inner-city children. Beginning in May, she will be on tour with Spirit, the Seventh Fire, an inspiring multimedia performance combining live music and dance with film.

Shaylin Shabi (Navajo) wears an early style of traditional dress, the Navajo rug dress, which came into being as an alternative to the wrap-around blanket dress, similar to the Puebloan manta on page 32. Two identical wool rugs are sewn together at the sides and top, leaving openings for the arms and head. A dress like this is typically made to celebrate a special occasion or achievement. A family friend in Kayenta, Arizona made this dress, to celebrate Shabi's volleyball team's winning season. A sash belt is worn over the dress and a concho belt over that. The sash belt has much significance in the Navajo tradition. It promotes good posture and an industrious character in the young girl and woman, and reminds her of the sanctity of womanhood. The sash belt is also used during labor, and after childbirth the new mother wears it to help flatten her stomach and regain her slim figure. A cousin wove this sash belt. It is also traditional to wear turquoise. The pieces Shabi wears belong to her mother and will eventually be handed down to her, as is the custom. Shabi holds a traditional straw hairbrush used to brush and comb the hair into the distinctive Navajo bun or hair knot-"kind of like a burrito," she says-tied off with white yarn. Shabi is from Kayenta and grew up in Glendale, Arizona. She is currently a journalism major at a college in Utah.

Segi Carter (Navajo/Cherokee/African American) wears a later-period Navajo dress. This style became popular in the late 1800s after the Long Walk (see page 24), when the Navajo were forced to walk to Fort Sumner and were held there in captivity for years. The Navajo women were taught to sew by the soldiers' wives and incorporated the long skirts and blouses the white women wore into their own traditions. Carter wears a three-tier velveteen skirt and long-sleeved blouse made with the help of her mother. The tiers represent the three phases of a woman's life: the bottom panel for infancy, the center for her adult years and the top panel for her elder years. Turquoise is prized by the Navajo and represents Tsoodzil (Mt. Taylor), the southern of the four sacred mountains that border the land of the Diné. The squash blossom necklace and bracelets belong to Carter's grandmother and are in the antique style. The blanket she wears as a shawl is a 2nd Phase Chief Revival woven by Priscilla Warren in 2002. Her hair is in the traditional Navajo-style bun (tsiiéél­), which incorporates the sacred number of four: the hair is rolled four times and wrapped four times (two times each side) with yarn. Carter was born in Los Angeles and grew up and currently lives in Albuquerque, but calls Whitecone, Arizona home. She hopes to pursue a career in sports medicine but loves fashion and would like to study that as well.

Mary Hubbell-Ansera (San Felipe Pueblo) is wearing the traditional attire for the annual Green Corn Dance, to which visitors are welcomed each May 1. The black manta is a woven wool overdress, worn leaving the left shoulder bare, representing fertility and humility. It is accented by a cotton underdress-a post-contact addition-embroidered brightly with elaborate symbols of clouds, sun, rain, mountains and vegetation. Both dresses were sewn and embroidered by her aunt. The dress is held in place with a traditional woven belt that can be up to six feet in length, wrapped around the waist and tucked in at the ends. The jewelry includes white shell beads with a turquoise jaclaw attached in the front center, and black bracelets made by twisting long strands of beads around the wrist. These beaded bracelets were more abundant and easier to acquire than turquoise. The long, straight hair represents falling rain in dances praying for rain and good crops. Pueblo women wear red moccasins for day-to-day wear and a white wrap moccasin for more formal events, both of traditionally tanned deer or elk hides. For the Green Corn Dance, however, women dance barefoot, representing their ability to touch the Mother Earth. Hubbell-Ansera is pursuing graduate work to attain her doctor of audiology degree. She hopes to one day provide much-needed, affordable audiological services to Native American communities.

Larry Price-originally from Sheep Springs, New Mexico and a member of the Navajo Nation-has a passion for creating photographic images. Price didn't get serious about photography until January 2002 when he came across an article in Photographic Magazine about a photographer from Flagstaff, Arizona. The imagery in those pages moved him.

"I thought to myself, I can do that," Price says. "Little did I know it wasn't that easy." That inspiring photographer was John Running. Price was especially blown away by the Native images. Soon after, he contacted Running and was invited to visit his studio. This visit led to introductions to other great photographers.
In addition to mentors such as John Running, Sam Minkler and Raechel Running, Price learned the craft of photography from books, magazines and much experimentation. Among his heroes are Irving Penn, Greg Gorman, John Running and Edward S. Curtis.
Price enjoys people photography the most-with a special passion for fashion and music. He has shot calendar photos and editorial subjects for a variety of clients, including Native Peoples magazine (May/June 2004).

The main reason Price started taking pictures was to portray Natives in a positive light. To further that goal, he launched Native Model Studio in 2003. The vision of NMS is to create a network of Native talent: photographers, models, fashion designers, actors, filmmakers, musicians, singers and graphic artists. In association with this, NMS released its first calendar for the 2005 year. The 2006 edition will be launched during the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow. To learn more about NMS check out the website at www.nativemodelstudio.com.

More of Larry Price's work can be see at www.nativephotographer.com