KEEPING TRADITOIN ALIVE WITH THE HARRIS
SISTER
The Harris sisters are a trio creating traditional Native American beadwork in their hometown of Pendleton,
OR.
By Bill Roden
Photography by Wray Sinclair
Harris Sisters Co was founded by sisters Katie, Anna, and Mary in Pendleton, OR. The sisters are from the Nez Perce, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Karuk tribes and specialize in traditional beadwork.
A brief history of beadwork
Native American beadwork, like quill work before it, is a decorative art form. Utilitarian goods such as clothing, dwellings, horse gear, and utensils were at one time ornamented with quillwork and beadwork. Over time, the older ways of life have disappeared. Even though clothing and dwelling styles have changed, and the original needs for horse gear and certain utensils have vanished, decorative beadwork continues to flourish.
Today, beadwork has come to symbolize the Native American heritage.
Reference: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/native-american-beadwork/17880
Katie creates beaded buckskin dresses, purses, horse regalia, beaded belts, beaded bracelets & earrings.
Anna has started tooling leather as an artistic outlet and a love for the western lifestyle growing up in Pendleton, home of the Pendleton Round-Up. She crossed paths with her now mentor Pedro Pedrini, and has continued to develop her skill in leathercraft recently finishing a set of fully tooled tapaderos. Even in her tooling style, she creates the traditional plateau flowers through her leather.
The youngest sister, Mary, is a sewer and beadworker.
Visit their work here.
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