Homestead Tribal Arts: showcasing artistry since 1979

FREDONIA, Ariz. - “When it feels con­nected to a person - personal, simple, not flashy,” says Eli Kirby, of the Homestead Trib­al Arts curio shop in Fredonia, “That’s what people want, that’s what people come here for.”

Left to right, photos by Ty Gant:

• Homestead Tribal Arts located in Fredonia, Arizona.

• Eli Kirby has at least one artifact too interesting to sell, a 200-year-old Spanish sailor’s bell.

• Homestead’s shelves are stocked with mostly local artifacts, and a few from very far away - the team will gladly show which is which!

Currently run by Eli and his mother Karen Rook, Homestead was established in Fredo­nia over 50 years ago by Eli’s aunt Eula Bruce. Says Eli, “My aunt Eula and my grandmother traveled the world, they en­countered so many interesting cultures, cool artifacts, everything that comes with travel and they had an inspi­ration: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if this was more available to everyone?’ They had that ambition to travel and share what they experienced, an ambition for old cool stuff - they had that dream and they made a business out of it.”

The family is part Navajo, with many different members con­tributing the shop’s wares with their own handiwork, in addition to tribal connections showcasing other na­tive artwork. “Because of what they’re made of and how they’re made,” Says Eli, “Na­vajo artifacts last long and are easy to put on a shelf. Zuni artwork and jewelry, Hopi silver - these sorts of artifacts can travel and last. We stock other works where we can, but there’s some art that doesn’t really work for a shop like this - some­times we’ll have Paiute baskets, some overlays, but it’s not often you can find them hand­crafted lately.”

Per the world-trav­eling ambitions of the shop’s founders, the na­tive artwork is joined by as many artifacts from world locations as the Homestead crew can reasonably find. “We get some very weird, very cool stuff,” Says Eli, showcasing mega­lodon teeth, African trade beads and me­teorite ore from three different continents. “When you’re in the network and people know the kind of busi­ness you run, you can get some really inter­esting offers from all over the place.”

When asked for high­light experiences and favorite items, Eli re­sponded, “It’s hard to pick out one when everyone is so memo­rable; with a travel business like, we get some eclectic people to go along with our eclectic stock.

“It’s very cool, but it can be kind of a pain …” Eli says of stocking Homestead’s handcrafted goods, “We just sold a rug, you can see the blank spot on that wall where it was. Time for me to go pick a replacement - which means going to all the local artists, getting history on each one, checking out their storerooms and choos­ing a rug that can be 60, 70 years old and try to find a good price … sup­porting all the locals, local artists and crafts­people, that’s what we want to do and that’s what the people want to buy.” Eli pointed out different beads and artwork, each with the profile of the artist on a nearby card - artists that included his aunts and uncles, his mother and himself.

“It can be hard, sell­ing collectibles like these,” Eli concluded with a smile, “they’re all so cool, they all look so good and I like them right here where they are - but I guess that’s the business.”