Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 11, 2006 18:10:15 GMT -5
Meet Robert Little Hawk
Bead-worker extraordinaire working well into his 80s
Richard A. Payne 10/10/2006
He was wearing a beaded hat-band, a beautiful beaded bolo tie and a great beaded vest, made with is own hands. They were as impressive as the man himself. He was charming, intelligent, articulate and kind, he was clearly a gentleman and yet he radiated a real strength of body and character. I estimated his age at perhaps fifty; he had passed his 80th year. He had aged like a fine German wine, yet he didn’t seem at all European. He was as tough and roughed as the Old West.
His beadwork reflected traditional Crow, Sioux and Cheyenne designs. It was detailed and well executed. I inquired as to the artist’s name, and he replied “Bob Little Hawk!” I asked him if he was a friend of the artist, and he said,”I suppose, I am the artist.” We began to speak and he invited me to his little red station-wagon to see some more samples of his beautiful beadwork.
I was raised to respect my elders and have learned over the years that some elders are easier to respect than others. I found respecting this man came as easy as breathing. His hands were twisted and bronzed, which came from a life as a horse trainer. He likely accounted for his gentle strength which radiates from him like the heat of the sun. As he showed me the work he explained the design and its history. He admitted to a lifelong love of books and reading. His favorite subject was Native American peoples and their various cultures. A man can read a great number of books in eighty years and it was clear he had. He knows Native America and it is directly reflected in his beadwork. His desire to know and make it authentic has paid off in some of the most beautiful and well executed designs I have yet to see. I then had to ask if he was Indian, he said not enough to really matter, he was in fact mostly German, and his given name is Bob Heid. I ask where Robert Little Hawk came from, and he admitted from his reading about Crazy Horse. Little Hawk was a brother of Crazy Horse; Heid liked the name and took it. His honesty and candor impressed me greatly.
This was the first time I was impressed by this man, but it was not to be the last. He invited me to The Loveland Stone Age Fair, the following day. I accepted his invitation and was glad I had. I have long had an interest in lithic tools. I took a class back in the mid-1970’s and learned have to talk to rocks. The art of making good arrow and spearheads and stone knives fascinated me, as it had Mr. Heid in the mid-1930s.
I spent hours looking the various collections of truly magnificent stone tools. Knowing, appreciating and feeling the presents of Native Peoples of days long past, still, as a grown man, enchants me and holds me spell bound. Not unlike me, he was interested in everything about Native American peoples. He had a table at the fair where he demonstrated the art of leather and bead work. He was not a trained teacher, but he is truly a gifted one. I watched for almost an hour before he even realized I was there. He was so intensely involved with several small children and a middle-aged woman he was teaching. He guided their efforts with the hands and eyes of a man one fourth his age. In a very short period he had them doing respectable beadwork.
He was born November 20, 1926 in the land of the Illinois. The Illinois people (Iliniwek, front ilini 'man', iw 'is', ek plural termination, changed by the French to ois). They are a confederacy of Algonquian tribes, formerly occupying south Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and sections of Iowa and Missouri, comprising the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria, and Tamaroa tribes. He moved to Colorado in 1949 and shortly thereafter began working with beads. He as reached a point where his talent and skill are perfected and he can now focus of the art of his craft, turning out some truly lovely pieces of art.
Selling his bead-work has become a primary source of income during his retirement, he sells hat bands, bola ties and moccasins mostly, but also belts, pouches, peace pipes, leather vests of will do beadwork on commissioned items. I will focus on his hat bands, bola ties and wonderful beaded moccasins.
Hat Bands. He will use size 14 beads resulting in approximately 200 beads per square inch. For example, it is not unusual for a hatband to contain 5,000 beads or more with each bead being selected by hand. All the hatbands (or headbands) shown here have been loom beaded and then sewn to deer hide. They can be designed in any color of your choice and he most frequently uses either a common Peyote or lazy stitch, both of which he has clearly mastered to perfection. He rejects loom work with clear distain. His hatbands are about half the price of what I found on the web, at $75 each.
Bola tie or bolo tie is a type of necktie consisting of a piece of cord fastened with an ornamental bar or clasp. The bola tie was created by Vic Cedarstaff in Wickenburg, Arizona and later patented. In the United States bola ties are widely associated with traditional cowboy dress, and are generally most common in the western areas of the country. The bola tie was made the official neckwear of Arizona in 1971. They are also popular with non-cowboy types; Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov and even old Abraham Simpson (cartoons) love bola ties. Both ends of Bob’s ties are beaded and larger than most ties, this requires a custom clasp or slide, which he hand makes behind the always eye-catching central design of the tie, often a silver Indian Chief’s head, or a favorite silver buffalo skull. They are beautiful in their exquisite design and detail. The price range for these ties is from $175.00 to $400.00, which is about half of comparable ones on the internet. He puts about 30 to 50 hours into each tie, and each one is a unique and individual piece of wearable art.
Bob’s moccasins are beautiful. Traditional Native American clothing varied widely from tribe to tribe, but one nearly universal element was the moccasin, a sturdy slipper-shaped type of shoe sewn from tanned leather. The word "moccasin" comes from an Algonquian word (also spelled mocasin, mocassin, moccassin, or mocussin, depending on the language and transcriber), but that is only because Algonquians were the first Indians encountered by Europeans--they were used as footwear from Sonora to Saskatchewan, and though "moccasins" may be understood and accepted by all of them at this point, most Indian tribes have their own native word for them.
All American Indian moccasins were originally made of soft leather stitched together with sinew. Though the basic construction of Native American moccasins was similar throughout North America, moccasin patterns were subtly different in nearly every tribe, and Indian people could often tell each other's tribal affiliation simply from the design of their shoes. (In fact, the common names of some large nations like the Blackfoot and the Chippewa’s refer to their characteristic moccasin styles, but also the extensive beadwork, quillwork, and painted designs many Indian people lavished on their shoes. In some tribes hardened rawhide was used for the sole for added durability, and in others rabbit fur (or, later, sheepskin) was used to line the leather moccasins for added warmth.
Other beaded items; pouches, vests, peace pipes and pouches and commissioned pieces, have fascinated the elderly gentleman. He has an extensive collective of books on Native designs and tries to stay true to what is culturally and historically correct, for the Native People of the American Great Plains. He makes a beautiful peace pipe and leather case for $85 to $250 depending on how much beadwork is requested. He has done many beaded vests and jackets, depending on if he provided the vest or jacket or if you do they take about 60 hours and start at $300 and up. He makes a variety of pouches running from $85 to $150 depending on time again; he spends up to 40 hours on a nice pouch. He is about half as expensive as items I found on the web, the quality is excellent and his work is very fine in terms of style and design. As a collector, I will add several items to my collection from this man’s talented hands.
You can contact him for information about his products at Little Hawk Designs, Bob Heid, 35754 Fruitland Mesa Road, Crawford, Colorado 81415 or call him at; 1-970-921-3232.
I will close this article with a fast and final story. I saw the “Vote For Beauprez” on the bumper sticker of his car. I was truly surprised that he could possibly be a Republican. He was just as surprised I could be a Democrat. We decided to be friends in spite of our politics. I remained convinced it is due to his Germanic blood, that his reasoning and logic are so polluted, he blames my politics on my Welsh heritage, neither of us are willing to think our Native American blood has anything to do with our choices. For me this is a man that has a talent and a skill that deserves to be shared with as many people as is humanly possible. For me October is the month before we vote, it is also the time when this Democrat will vote for a Republican, for the office of Teacher and Bead-worker Extraordinaire.
Bead-worker extraordinaire working well into his 80s
Richard A. Payne 10/10/2006
He was wearing a beaded hat-band, a beautiful beaded bolo tie and a great beaded vest, made with is own hands. They were as impressive as the man himself. He was charming, intelligent, articulate and kind, he was clearly a gentleman and yet he radiated a real strength of body and character. I estimated his age at perhaps fifty; he had passed his 80th year. He had aged like a fine German wine, yet he didn’t seem at all European. He was as tough and roughed as the Old West.
His beadwork reflected traditional Crow, Sioux and Cheyenne designs. It was detailed and well executed. I inquired as to the artist’s name, and he replied “Bob Little Hawk!” I asked him if he was a friend of the artist, and he said,”I suppose, I am the artist.” We began to speak and he invited me to his little red station-wagon to see some more samples of his beautiful beadwork.
I was raised to respect my elders and have learned over the years that some elders are easier to respect than others. I found respecting this man came as easy as breathing. His hands were twisted and bronzed, which came from a life as a horse trainer. He likely accounted for his gentle strength which radiates from him like the heat of the sun. As he showed me the work he explained the design and its history. He admitted to a lifelong love of books and reading. His favorite subject was Native American peoples and their various cultures. A man can read a great number of books in eighty years and it was clear he had. He knows Native America and it is directly reflected in his beadwork. His desire to know and make it authentic has paid off in some of the most beautiful and well executed designs I have yet to see. I then had to ask if he was Indian, he said not enough to really matter, he was in fact mostly German, and his given name is Bob Heid. I ask where Robert Little Hawk came from, and he admitted from his reading about Crazy Horse. Little Hawk was a brother of Crazy Horse; Heid liked the name and took it. His honesty and candor impressed me greatly.
This was the first time I was impressed by this man, but it was not to be the last. He invited me to The Loveland Stone Age Fair, the following day. I accepted his invitation and was glad I had. I have long had an interest in lithic tools. I took a class back in the mid-1970’s and learned have to talk to rocks. The art of making good arrow and spearheads and stone knives fascinated me, as it had Mr. Heid in the mid-1930s.
I spent hours looking the various collections of truly magnificent stone tools. Knowing, appreciating and feeling the presents of Native Peoples of days long past, still, as a grown man, enchants me and holds me spell bound. Not unlike me, he was interested in everything about Native American peoples. He had a table at the fair where he demonstrated the art of leather and bead work. He was not a trained teacher, but he is truly a gifted one. I watched for almost an hour before he even realized I was there. He was so intensely involved with several small children and a middle-aged woman he was teaching. He guided their efforts with the hands and eyes of a man one fourth his age. In a very short period he had them doing respectable beadwork.
He was born November 20, 1926 in the land of the Illinois. The Illinois people (Iliniwek, front ilini 'man', iw 'is', ek plural termination, changed by the French to ois). They are a confederacy of Algonquian tribes, formerly occupying south Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and sections of Iowa and Missouri, comprising the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria, and Tamaroa tribes. He moved to Colorado in 1949 and shortly thereafter began working with beads. He as reached a point where his talent and skill are perfected and he can now focus of the art of his craft, turning out some truly lovely pieces of art.
Selling his bead-work has become a primary source of income during his retirement, he sells hat bands, bola ties and moccasins mostly, but also belts, pouches, peace pipes, leather vests of will do beadwork on commissioned items. I will focus on his hat bands, bola ties and wonderful beaded moccasins.
Hat Bands. He will use size 14 beads resulting in approximately 200 beads per square inch. For example, it is not unusual for a hatband to contain 5,000 beads or more with each bead being selected by hand. All the hatbands (or headbands) shown here have been loom beaded and then sewn to deer hide. They can be designed in any color of your choice and he most frequently uses either a common Peyote or lazy stitch, both of which he has clearly mastered to perfection. He rejects loom work with clear distain. His hatbands are about half the price of what I found on the web, at $75 each.
Bola tie or bolo tie is a type of necktie consisting of a piece of cord fastened with an ornamental bar or clasp. The bola tie was created by Vic Cedarstaff in Wickenburg, Arizona and later patented. In the United States bola ties are widely associated with traditional cowboy dress, and are generally most common in the western areas of the country. The bola tie was made the official neckwear of Arizona in 1971. They are also popular with non-cowboy types; Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov and even old Abraham Simpson (cartoons) love bola ties. Both ends of Bob’s ties are beaded and larger than most ties, this requires a custom clasp or slide, which he hand makes behind the always eye-catching central design of the tie, often a silver Indian Chief’s head, or a favorite silver buffalo skull. They are beautiful in their exquisite design and detail. The price range for these ties is from $175.00 to $400.00, which is about half of comparable ones on the internet. He puts about 30 to 50 hours into each tie, and each one is a unique and individual piece of wearable art.
Bob’s moccasins are beautiful. Traditional Native American clothing varied widely from tribe to tribe, but one nearly universal element was the moccasin, a sturdy slipper-shaped type of shoe sewn from tanned leather. The word "moccasin" comes from an Algonquian word (also spelled mocasin, mocassin, moccassin, or mocussin, depending on the language and transcriber), but that is only because Algonquians were the first Indians encountered by Europeans--they were used as footwear from Sonora to Saskatchewan, and though "moccasins" may be understood and accepted by all of them at this point, most Indian tribes have their own native word for them.
All American Indian moccasins were originally made of soft leather stitched together with sinew. Though the basic construction of Native American moccasins was similar throughout North America, moccasin patterns were subtly different in nearly every tribe, and Indian people could often tell each other's tribal affiliation simply from the design of their shoes. (In fact, the common names of some large nations like the Blackfoot and the Chippewa’s refer to their characteristic moccasin styles, but also the extensive beadwork, quillwork, and painted designs many Indian people lavished on their shoes. In some tribes hardened rawhide was used for the sole for added durability, and in others rabbit fur (or, later, sheepskin) was used to line the leather moccasins for added warmth.
Other beaded items; pouches, vests, peace pipes and pouches and commissioned pieces, have fascinated the elderly gentleman. He has an extensive collective of books on Native designs and tries to stay true to what is culturally and historically correct, for the Native People of the American Great Plains. He makes a beautiful peace pipe and leather case for $85 to $250 depending on how much beadwork is requested. He has done many beaded vests and jackets, depending on if he provided the vest or jacket or if you do they take about 60 hours and start at $300 and up. He makes a variety of pouches running from $85 to $150 depending on time again; he spends up to 40 hours on a nice pouch. He is about half as expensive as items I found on the web, the quality is excellent and his work is very fine in terms of style and design. As a collector, I will add several items to my collection from this man’s talented hands.
You can contact him for information about his products at Little Hawk Designs, Bob Heid, 35754 Fruitland Mesa Road, Crawford, Colorado 81415 or call him at; 1-970-921-3232.
I will close this article with a fast and final story. I saw the “Vote For Beauprez” on the bumper sticker of his car. I was truly surprised that he could possibly be a Republican. He was just as surprised I could be a Democrat. We decided to be friends in spite of our politics. I remained convinced it is due to his Germanic blood, that his reasoning and logic are so polluted, he blames my politics on my Welsh heritage, neither of us are willing to think our Native American blood has anything to do with our choices. For me this is a man that has a talent and a skill that deserves to be shared with as many people as is humanly possible. For me October is the month before we vote, it is also the time when this Democrat will vote for a Republican, for the office of Teacher and Bead-worker Extraordinaire.