Imagine...
... a
box with no apparent way to open it, yet if you know the secret
– you can. One box might take 4 steps, another 54. Now imagine a
store with not a couple, a few, or even a dozen – but nearly
100
of these amazing Japanese
puzzle boxes.
... a
carved wooden jaguar head decorated with over 50,000 beads, each
individually placed, forming intricate patterns. An art form
perfected by the Huichol Indians of Mexico.
... a
tiny basket, so tightly woven that they say it can hold water.
Such are the baskets of the Wounaan Indians of Panama.
... a
sculpture that is half giraffe, half gazelle and just so happens
to be purple and orange. This is the whimsical work known as Alebrijes to the people of Oaxaca, Mexico.
... a gold
lacquer vase that took a master craftsman over a month to
complete. Or a jade sculpture that took 3 months. Or a tiny bottle
with a portrait painted on the inside
Imagine
these items and thousands more, each with a story, waiting to be
discovered. |
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HUICHOL YARN ART
View our Yarn Art from Mexico - Nestled in the
Sierra de Nayarit, just north of Guadalajara, Mexico, you will find
approximately 12,000 Huichol (Wee-Chol) Indians, a tribe believed to descend
from the Aztec Indians. This area
of Mexico is remote and rugged, and home to one of the last tribes to exist
under the Spanish rule. The Huichol
Indians still follow pagan beliefs, consider deer a sacred animal, grow corn,
which is thought to be the source of all life, and use a form of communication
called peyote. Because of this, the
core of the Huichol Indians consist of deer, corn, and peyote. |
TAGUA CARVINGS FROM ECUADOR
Shop our Carvings from Ecuador - Located
in the northwest portion of Ecuador, a unique venture began called the Tagua
Initiative was formed. This began
in 1990 by Conservation International as a means of creating economic incentives
associated with the tagua palm nut, trying to find a way for the harvests to be
sustained. Because of this
initiative, today we see almost 2,000 people belonging to the Comuna Rio
Santiago-Cayapas, holding down jobs. However,
these jobs depend on the rainforest being left unharmed, allowing the tagua nut
to continue growing. |
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Featured Products
NAVAJO SAND PAINTINGS
 Shop our Sand Paintings - These sand paintings are
done completely by hand. On the back of each piece is a card with the artists
name and written in the artists hand the name of the painting. The Navajo people
believe the universe to be delicately balanced. Only man can upset it causing
disaster or illness. When this happens a medicine man must restore the natural
balance. Balance is restored by healing the offender with chants herbs prayers
songs and sand paintings. |
MALA PRAYER BEADS
 Shop our Mala Beads - Excellent assortment
of 108 bead malas including many one of a kind gemstone malas made from
semi-precious stones. Each mala is individually hand-crafted with accent beads
placed as counters and unique center bead and tassels. |
JAPANESE PUZZLE BOXES
 Shop our Secret Puzzle Boxes - Our puzzle boxes
are each individually handcrafted in the city of Hakone, Japan and imported by
us directly from the artists offering the best quality and pricing available.
The skills have been passed down through the generations since the Edo Period. |
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