Preserving Native-American Art

Interest in collecting artifacts led enthusiasts to establish Gateway Indian Art Club

Todd Boehmer and his wife Carolynn at the Gateway Indian Art Club's annual Indian and Western Art Show and Sale held recently in St. Charles. Boehmer has been collecting Native-American art and artifacts since he was 9 years old. Ursula Ruhl.

November 12, 2015

 

Todd Boehmer has been collecting Native-American art and artifacts for most of his 89 years.

 

"When I was in school, kids would bring in arrowheads and we would find them on our property," he said, noting he was about 9 years old.

 

Boehmer attended Kirkwood High School, and served in the Navy during World War II. His childhood interest in Native-American culture stayed with him, however, and grew to include his wife of 53 years, Carolynn. Originally, they attended shows relating to archeology together.

 

"That was always his thing; I went to all the shows until I had two little ones, then he went with the guys," she said.

 

Then Todd Boehmer, along with Ben Thompson and Virgil Laux, conceived the idea of the Gateway Indian Art Club, and it grew from that core group.

 

For over 20 years, the Gateway Indian Art Club has hosted an annual event, The Indian and Western Art Show and Sale. This year's show was on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in St. Charles. Vendors come from around the United States to show their collections, sell art objects, and enjoy camaraderie with those who share their interests.

 

"The challenge is to keep a balance of materials, not all jewelry, not all baskets, but keep it interesting," Club President Lyle Anderson said. His interest in Native-American artifacts began when he was a Boy Scout, trying his hand at making his own arrows.

 

At last weekend's show, vendor David Williamson of Kirkwood displayed a wide variety of Native-American wares from his collection.

Northern Plains men's quilled shirt was on display at the show. Ursula Ruhl.

 

The club and the show are a great way for people interested in Native culture to find, and learn, from each other, Williamson said, noting he has met several kindred spirits who share his enthusiasm for intricate Native designs.

 

Some club members collect beadwork, others quillwork, still others baskets, but all admire the quality of work, use of color and pattern, and attention to detail.

 

"What fascinates me," said Carolynn Boehmer, "are the elaborate repeat patterns that the artists have in their heads, nothing on paper, for beadwork and quillwork."

 

Basket vendor Elaine Tucker, of Clayton, concurred. Primarily, her tables displayed pieces from the Pacific Northwest, such as the Nuu-Chah-Nulth (Nootka), Makah and Tlingit. The vessels dated from the late 1800s through about 1920, and were meticulously wrought from grasses.

 

"The weavers used the botanical materials where they lived; the Aleutians used ryegrass, in northern California you might see bear-grass," she continued. "It might take three to six weeks to prepare the materials for a basket, and she would weave it with no written pattern, all in her head."

 

Other displays featured dolls; Zuni and Navajo jewelry; Kentucky rifles; pottery, both modern and ancient; even a King George II peace medal that was de-accessioned from a small museum.

 

Bud Clark, formerly of Glendale, exhibited his collection of pre-1900 Western Americana. A descendant of explorer William Clark, he is part of the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles Living History group, reenacting his famous ancestor's adventures and promoting history education. Even though he has moved away from the St. Louis area, Clark looks forward to attending the Gateway Indian Art Club show.

 

"I always have the desire to visit; I have strong roots here," he said. "So I have an additional reason to be here. I love the show – two for the price of one!"

 

Lemay resident Charlie Silverhorn, a Kiowa, displayed and sold his beadwork. He gave his niece, renowned artist Kathy Dickerson, credit for carrying on family artistic traditions that go back generations.

 

"Most of the artists are gone now, but my niece keeps up the traditional arts. She smokes the hides, does beadwork and silver. My grandfather, Silverhorn, was a famous Kiowa artist," he said. His display included a copy of Smithsonian anthropologist Candace Greene's book, "Silver Horn: Master Illustrator of the Kiowa."

 

Todd Boehmer has tried his hand at traditional deer-hide tanning. The hide must be scraped to remove hair and tissue, then soaked in a mixture of water and animal brains, then stretched and smoked to create traditional deer buckskin.

 

"You have to brain tan them. We tanned them in the backyard when we lived in Crestwood; you have to pull them, stretch them thin, to make them usable," he explained.

 

The most significant object in Boehmer's collection nearly eluded him. He was walking along a creek with his oldest son, when the teenager spotted something and picked it up.

 

"I walked right by it, and my son found it," he said. "It was a paleo point, a Clovis point."

 

Clovis points are ancient; Clovis culture produced relatively large, distinctive points, although whether they were spearheads or knives is still subject to debate, roughly 13,500 years ago.

 

"So many people in St. Louis are interested in Native-American cultures," said Carolynn Boehmer. "It's part of St. Louis history. We used to be the Mound City, but the mounds are all gone now, except for Sugar Loaf mound in South City.

 

"The club has worked so hard to perpetuate the Native-American culture that is here in St. Louis, so much that is interesting, and that's why we enjoy the club."