Smoke Signals 5
JUNE 1,2007
Bring The Native American
Culture And Art Back To Life
By Kristen Ravia
The Mechanical Rockfish, owned and operated by Grand Ronde Tribal
member Alicia Finney, is bringing Native American culture back to life.
Finney and her husband, Joseph Cox, opened their Lincoln City store to
sell their art as well as to help other Native American artists sell their
crafts. Finney has had several years experience making native art. She has
helped make regalia for Tribal Royalty and has sold her items at Grand
Ronde's Annual Pow-wow for many years.
Finney's store features many different local artists such as Keith Jackson,
and Dale Middleton. Her store specializes in necklaces, custom t-shirts,
jewelry, dancing sticks, and any traditional regalia items. Cox's mother
Cheryl Strope displays custom hand blown glass in Finney's store. She
offers consignment for other local artists. Finney is also hoping to inspire
local spiritual speakers and craft makers to come teach at her store.
Finney and Cox have many different talents that showcase in their store.
They both had busy lives before opening the store. Finney was a full-time
student and homemaker, Cox, full-time student and an audio engineer. Cox
and Finney also opened up a Bio-Diesel business located in Newport.
Finney is the great niece of Tribal elder Bob Haller and sister to Tribal
Education Manager April Campbell. She has participated in selling Native
American art since she was 14 years old, inspired by her ancestors.
Finney's and Cox's store is located 945 Highway 101 in Lincoln City.
Their hours are Monday thru Thursday 1 1 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 1 1 a.m.to
8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
mam nwflSo
Pes i
JA, ft' I J
Tribal member Alicia Finney holds son and Tribal youth Jonah Cox with
husband Josheph Cox at their Lincoln City store "The Mechanical Rockfish.'
Pictured here are a few of the many items that can be found at Tribal
member Alicia Finney's Native American art store.
Wood Carving Diary
By Ron Karten
Cultural Education Coordi
nator Tony Johnson (Chinook)
told me to let the wood teach
me what directions to carve in.
When you've got it right, the
wood shavings go like frosting
off a cake, but when you have it
wrong, the wood chunks off. The
gouges in the wood look bad and
they also make the next cuts
more difficult.
You also have to work with the
wood to figure out how to hold
it, said Social Services Manager
Dave Fullerton not only so
you're cutting with the grain,
but also so the wood or the knife
won't slip and so that your body
does not become the backstop for
a runaway knife or adze.
Everybody has a story about
the tools cutting more than
just wood. I've provided an ex
ample in each of my first two
classes, though I'll spare you
the details.
"I've done it so many times,"
said class leader and carver
Adam Mclsaac, that there are places
on my hand that don't even bleed
anymore if the knife hits them."
All of which, I realize, is not the
best way of enticing folks to this
wonderful class. In using the rela
tively inexperienced muscles in your
forearms to make controlled cuts,
i; . . - nmmm .... . -wjm
j X "
Jb
1
" - Adam Mclsaac
S ? V :
i.Lt' o2 I
you'll feel the pain that the Grand
Ronde ancestors felt as they learned
the craft.
It is one thing to look at the remark
able carvings that came from the
Columbia River people, and to read
about their efforts and ways of work,
but there is nothing like feeling the
same wood and developing the same
muscles as the ancestors did.
I missed two Friday wood carving
classes and was able to pick up right
whfirfl T left
member
Gary Oberg,
who hadn't
missed a
class, was
just fin
ishing his
spoon that
was carved
in the Co
lumbia Riv
er Indian
style, and
was ready
to start another project as I sat down
with the adze for some final cuts, and
having survived that, moved on to
the knife work that smoothed down
my spoon not just to size, but to a
finished look.
At class end, it looked to me as
if I had done most of the outside
shaping and was ready for the
next session, during which I will
be hollowing out the top side of
the spoon.
For control, you hold the
knife sticking out of the bottom
of your hand and move your
wrist either forward or back,
depending on your inclination
and the place in the wood you
are working. It does not come
naturally that way. You want
to hold the knife sticking out of
the top of your hand and slice
down through a branch, letting
the blade fly off at the end of
the cut.
There's still plenty of room
in the class, and plenty of tech
niques to learn, to help bring
back this nearly lost tradition.
Classes are held Friday nights
starting at approximately 6 or
6:30 p.m. behind the Youth
Education Building, or inside if
weather is bad. No need to sign
up. No cost. Mclsaac provides
the tools and the wood for every
project. Just show up and get to
know a piece of wood.