A desire to connect with her Native American roots led senior Zadie Hammond to find a passion for beading. She beaded a special medallion and matching earring set that advanced to the state level in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) competition. She will be the lone representative of Kingwood Park when she travels to the state competition at San Marcos High School on April 25-26.
This year, Hammond takes Art Drawing and Art Sculpture. She is also in the art national honor society
Why did you start doing beadwork? “I started doing the bead work, because as I’ve grown up I’ve really wanted to get into my Native roots. Beading is one of the things that I wanted to try for a really long time. And so a couple of years ago, I started doing it. This year, I began to really find a deep love for beading and representing my heritage.”
Why did you choose a medallion for your project? “I had the idea for a medallion, just because I thought it was cool. It’s something different that you don’t usually see at art competitions. The meaning behind it was basically ‘In the middle of the sun.’ It kind of represents new beginnings, because I am the first beader of my family. And these type of things, like medallions and stuff, you don’t really get to buy those unless you have a beader in your family. They get passed down to people, and so it’s going to be a new journey for me to start doing this and being able to hand down all of my beading stuff to my family.”
What was your favorite part of the VASE competition? “I always think it’s really scary to go back and do the judging, but after you do it all and you really think back to it, it’s just a review of all the work that you’ve done. And I think it’s a really cool, needed experience. You get to explain why you made it, how you made it, and what it means to you. You also get critiqued, which I think is super helpful. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to hear those, but they’re so helpful.”
What was your reaction when you found out you made it to state? “It was a really neat call, just to get to hear that you’re going to state. And because there were a ton of beautiful, beautiful pieces there, and it was a little bit more challenging this year. Mine was definitely a little bit more simplified compared to the other ones. They’re like, really big and extravagant. Mine was kind of smaller. And so I thought it was super cool to have that experience.”
Why did you start your small business Na’awa Creations? There’s not a ton of people who do [beading]. I’ve been to a couple of pow wows. I’ve seen the stuff that they make, and they sell them for a lot. If they can do it, why can’t I? I can be making money off of this. And I love my craft. I love it. I’ve really grown and like to learn different ways and different techniques to make it better. And not only do I get to sell the work that I do, but I also get to have that deeper love for my thing. I want to show it to people and show them how special beading is.”
What does the name mean? “Na’awa Creations means beautiful creations in Ute, and I think having that as a title is super cool. Not only do you get to have a little bit of that Ute in there, but also it’s a cool little logo. I’m mostly doing it for sharing purposes, just to show people that there are beaders out there and it’s another form of art.”
What do you sell? I do bracelets, I do fringe earrings, I do hoop earrings and I do key chains. I sold ornaments on the holidays, and I do beaded hats and medallions. After I’m done with all of my other competitions and things, I’m gonna start getting into shoes. I think beaded shoes are really pretty and beautiful, and I hope to do moccasins one day. I think moccasins are super, super pretty.”
Is there anything else you would like to add? “For my business, it’s not about the money. It’s just about showing awareness that Native Americans are there. I feel like there’s not as much Native American awareness, and so I want to be an advocate for Native Americans in my heritage by showing people the beautiful things about Native Americans. I think that is super, super important. And that was my whole main reason for doing the medallion. You don’t get to see those artworks at state or anywhere else. You only get to really see them at pow wows and stuff. And so it makes me very proud to see that I was able to go to state for a Native piece. And I think it makes my grandma proud, and all my ancestors proud that they get to see that.”
