Aizoniques

A Guide to Places, Events, and People ARIZONIQUES Unique to Arizona and the Southwest. Singing Wood

Chesley Goseyun Wilson makes an instrument the Apaches call tsiiedo'a'tl, "the wood that sings." It's an apt description for the beautiful and intriguing Apache violin, a traditional Native American musical instrument.

Wilson, an Arizona Apache of the Eagle clan, learned the craft when he was five years old and living on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.

"I make violins the way my grandfather taught me," says Wilson, "and I want to pass on the tradition to young Apache artisans." The violins, which are played at ceremonies and small social gatherings, are crafted from the dried flower stalk of the agave plant. When played, they emit a soft dulcimer-like sound.

Last year, Wilson was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship. The first Arizonan to be so honored, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the $5,000 award and citation.

While there he participated in a Congressional reception with 12 other folk artists and artisans and performed for an overflow audience at the fellowship awards concert held at Georgetown University.

"It was the happiest day of my life," says Wilson, who is also a silversmith, sculptor, and traditional singer and musician. "I traveled in the footsteps of my great-grandfather, Chief Eskiminzin." In the 1870s, Eskiminzin and Wilson's greatgreat-grandfather, White Mountain Chief Hashkedasila, were among a group of Apache leaders who went to Washington with Indian Agent John Clum (see Arizona Highways, September 1990). "I am glad to get recognition, not just for myself as an artist, but for the Apache people and their artistic tradition.

While in Washington, Wilson presented an Apache violin made for President George Bush to the National Museum of American History as a gift from the Apache people.

Holiday Indian Market

More than 700 American Indian craftsmen and artisans will gather from throughout the Southwest to sell their works at the Pueblo Grande Indian Market, 4619 E. Washington St., Phoenix, next month. The annual open-air trading fair, this year scheduled for December 8 and 9, attracts thousands of holiday shoppers, tourists, and collectors.

Here you can visit more than 350 exhibit tables, showcasing everything from fine silver and turquoise jewelry to delicate alabaster-white pottery. Intricate kachina dolls, rustic bows and arrows, and casual wear appliquéd with coyotes and cacti are also popular. At last year's market, one purveyor even offered T-shirts with the slogan, "Don't worry, be Hopi."

While you're there, tour the Pueblo Grande Museum, which details the physical and cultural history of the Hohokam Indians, thought to have lived more than 500 years ago in the adobe structures excavated there. A wellmarked trail leads through the archeological site.

Watch for Butterflies

The fall is a good time to go butterfly-watching in southern Arizona although any season will do because many varieties dwell in the state year-round. Our state's lowlands host as many as 150 species of the colorful nectarsippers. One of the most striking is the pipevine swallow tail, which has iridescent blue and black wings marked with orange spots. A buttercup-yellow beauty called the cloudless sulphur migrates through the state, as does the famous monarch butterfly. The best time to watch is midmorning, from 9:00 A.M. to about 11:00 Α.Μ. Find them on desert hikes or lure them to your garden by planting flowers such as lantana, verbena, and bidens.

Hints for Travelers to Mexico

If you plan to visit Mexico this winter, the U.S. Department of State publishes a valuable little pamphlet titled Tips for Travelers to Mexico. It contains little-known safety and health information, and it lists emergency numbers and the telephone numbers of American consulates and embassies.

Philip Covington of the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs advises travelers to refrain from carrying firearms into Mexico. Packing a rod is a crime, he says. About 10 percent of the 425 or so U.S. citizens in Mexican jails at any given time are locked up for firearms possession. And, he adds, U.S. citizens abroad are “not wrapped in the U.S. Constitution. Consular officers cannot help them beyond ensuring that they are treated fairly under local law.” To obtain this useful brochure, send $1.00 to Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402; telephone (202) 783-3238.

Calendar

November 2-4, Mesa. The annual Fine Folk Festival features 175 artisans, four entertainment areas, food booths, street performers, and a 20-mile bicycle challenge. Telephone 890-2613 November 5-10, Phoenix. See the “Railorama” model railroad exhibit at the Valley National Bank Center, located at Central Avenue and Van Buren Street. Special demonstrations will take place between 10:00 Α.Μ. and 2:00 P.M. Telephone 261-1005.

November 7, Tucson. Thousands of bicyclists participate in El Tour de Tucson, an annual event that features 109-mile, 75-mile, and 50-mile races. Telephone 745-2033.

November 9-11, Wickenburg. The 11th Annual Four-Corner States Bluegrass Festival takes place at Constellation Park. In addition to competitive fiddling, the show offers arts and crafts displays and food booths. Telephone 684-5479.

November 10-11, Glendale. The Thunderbird International Balloon Classic and Airshow the thirdlargest balloon race in the United States with more than 150 entrants - takes place at Glendale Air Park. Telephone 978-7208.

November 16-18, Phoenix. The “Arizona Gem and Mineral Showcase” features the mineral wulfenite. Dealers, demonstrators, exhibits, competitive displays, and a silent auction are all part of the show at the Youth Center Building on the Arizona State Fairground. Telephone 252-6771.

November 30-December 2, Tempe. Old Town Tempe Fall Festival, an arts and entertainment gala, will feature more than 500 artisans, continuous entertainment, and food. Telephone 967-4877.