S327 Medicine Bear with medicine bundle by noted Tesuque sculptor Mark Swazo Hinds. The 20” x 15” Indiana limestone bear has a brain tanned sash and medicine bundle of blue Macaw feathers, scarlet Macaw tail feathers, yucca bows and shells, and ancient pottery shards.
The white bear has the most powerful curative abilities. A medicine bundle increases the strength of a fetish.
Mark's work can be seen on permanent display at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.
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About the artist
Mark Swazo Hinds
Birth Date: January 16, 1959
Death Date: December 09, 2023
Mark Swazo Hinds is the son of famed Tesuque Pueblo painter Patrick Swazo - Hinds. He was born in Berkley, California, moved to Santa Fe in 1968 and moved to the Tesuque Pueblo in 1972. After studying art at Haskell Indian Junior College and then the University of Kansas, Mark graduated from the Institute of American Art in 1981. He studied under Allen Houser at the IAIA during his college years. He is a noted fetish carver, but also has branched out to painting. Mark's work can be seen on permanent display at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington , DC.
Mark began by making fetishes in his teens. In 1984 he started exhibiting at Indian Market in Santa Fe, which has garnered him three awards. Marks's work speaks of his heritage and are in collections throughout the United States as well as in France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Mark Swazo Hinds specialized in using traditional skills to make his pieces for a contemporary audience. His Fetishes speak of his heritage and are collected throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia. He was deeply involved with the tradition of his craft and each piece is blessed in traditional Pueblo style and the collector will carry these spiritual blessings with them forever.
The exquisite marble pieces, with rust markings and inlaid turquoise, bears earrings and a ceremonial headdress of parrot and turkey feathers are true to the culture of the Pueblo people. Turquoise, in the Tewa language, is a stone whose beauty is untranslatable in the English language.
His pieces have featured in shows around the country that celebrate Native American art, reflecting an artistry of solid strength and vision.
Mark Swazo Hinds was an avid hunter and fly fisherman and collects many of the artifacts that he uses in his pieces on his frequent trips to the wild. After a piece is completed, he blessed it in the traditional Pueblo style before it is taken to its next place of resting, be it a Gallery, Show or part of a Private Collection.
