A Sampling of the Many Items I Sell at Pow Wow

Native American jewelry and hair accessories - specializing in beautifully hand crafted clay beads. Established in 1994. P.O. Box 1454 Concord, Massachusetts 01742
At this time, Arawak Design™ does not allow purchases from this site, nor do we currently have a catalog for the items that we carry. To see more products or to purchase, please come to a Pow Wow (scroll down to see a list of my shows).
ZIPPERED DRUM POUCHES lined with plastic (cold wash/no dryer please!), these pouches have photos of my family drum ©2007 and can be used to carry candy, make-up, sage, or so many other important items (Approx. $20.00).




LEATHER NECK POUCHES: my handcrafted clay beads attached to leather cords on beautifully dyed suede and leather (Approx. Approx. $15.00).

T-Shirts

These are all original (and copyrighted) designs:

The Drum Connects Our Hearts and Hands…
To the Heartbeat of the Mother Earth…
These are full color front and back shirts (Approx. $25.00).

Earrings

THREE DANGLE EARRINGS: each has a small concho on which dangles three of my handcrafted clay beads with accents of glass seed beads, shells, stone chips, and/or other interesting beads ($28.00).


FETISH EARRINGS: each has one of my handcrafted clay beads with accents of glass seed beads, shells, stone chips, and/or other interesting beads, as well as a stone or metal fetish representing an animal or human (Approx. $20.00).






SMALL DANGLE EARRINGS: each has one of my handcrafted clay beads with accents of glass seed beads and/or stone chips (Approx. $15.00).





POST OR CLIP EARRINGS: each has one my handcrafted clay beads (Approx. $5.00).

Bracelets

LARGE BEADED BRACELET: 5 of my handcrafted clay beads and glass, metal and/or stone bead accents (Approx. $12.00).



MEDIUM BEADED BRACELET: 4 of my handcrafted clay beads and glass, metal and/or stone bead accents (Approx. $10.00).








SMALL BEADED BRACELET: 3 of my handcrafted clay beads and glass, metal and/or stone bead accents (Approx. $8.00).










ONE BEAD LEATHER BRACELET: one of my handcrafted clay beads on a piece of leather and a glass crow bead accent (Approx. $4.00). A Real Bargain!



OR: a memory wire bracelet with a single clay bead (Approx. $4.00).

Pins

DANGLE PINS: two of three dangling beads hanging from a metal concho or another clay bead with accents of glass beads, stone chips, shells, or other interesting beads (Approx. $25.00).







LARGE PINS: a hand, a foot, or a dream catcher with a feather… these large pins are combinations of the smaller designs (Approx. $15.00) (I also have SMALL PINS Approx. $7.00).

Hair Accessories

HAIR TIES: my handcrafted clay beads with accents of bone hairpipe, glass crow beads, and feathers on an elastic cord that can easily wrap around a pony tail, braid, barrette, or even a baseball cap! (Approx. $15.00 each)







BOBBY PINS: my handcrafted clay beads (Approx. $5.00 a pair) A Real Bargain!

Arawak Design™

Claudia A. Fox Tree (Arawak) is the owner and artist for Arawak Design™, established in 1994.

The Arawak are the original inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. In 1492, they greeted a lost sailor named Christopher Columbus. Though that event may have given the Arawak a place in history, we have gone on to survive as a contemporary people in today's world.

Claudia incorporates indigenous designs into her art by applying a "Millefiori" technique to polymer clays.

Each bead can take from two to six hours to create, depending upon the intricacies of the design and the amount of colors involved. There is no paint, only different colored clays. Here’s a quick summary of the process in her words:

I create the designs on paper,
I select the colors of clay,
I mix, knead, and blend the clay,
I sculpt, wrap, roll, and cut the clay,
I build the individual design shapes,
I keep the final vision in my mind,
I press together the shapes,
I roll down the canes of clay,
I slice the beads,
I hope for image integrity,
I make the holes,
I bake the clay,
Now, I can create the jewelry.

Close up of bead work below:













Currently, Claudia's work is available only in person (there is no store or shop). You may purchase her designs at one of the man the local Massachusetts Pow Wows she attends.

The Clay Bead Making Process

First, I locate authentic pottery, rock carvings, and petroglyphs. Then, I sketch and lay out the colors of the design on a piece of white paper. I love my Berol Prismacolor colored pencils. Then, I match the clay colors, planning to blend Fimo (a hard clay) with Sculpey (a soft clay) and other polymer clays in a food processor, which I set aside to use only for clay blending. The pea-sized pieces are then kneaded to a workable texture.

I find an image like this stock photo from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/126523070775870130/

Next, I usually start by building the "face" of the piece.  This is really a sculpting process.  It's okay to have "seams" because they will blend when I roll down the clay.  This face is about 2 inches high and 3 inches wide.  After I have the face, I add the other parts of the shape and begin to integrate the background colors.

 

After the sculpting part is done, the clay is gently pressed and stretched into a "log" or "cane."  From there the beads are cut.

Bake for 30 minutes at 260º in the oven on a piece of sturdy cardboard.

 

Here are other finished clay beads next to the initial design.