Portsmouth Store Owner Carries on Native American Traditions

Walking to the back of Natures! on Chase Road, one can see tiny purple seashells shining behind rows of minerals. The shells are polished, a deep rich violet hue, and dangle from shining sterling silver.

These earrings were not made in China, Indonesia or the Philippines, but feet away in Portsmouth by store owner Nancy Millard.

Millard, who is half Mohawk, continues the tradition of making Native American goods by hand. She polishes wampum—the purple part of the quahog shell—and makes her own jewelry using this material found along local beaches.

The practice, while traditional, is still very dangerous, says Millard. "It's poisonous to cut without protection," said the store owner, who wears protective gloves and a respiratory mask.

Millard, a college professor at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), travels to various Native American pow wow to sell her ware. She has been preparing for two pow wows, which were held this past weekend in Lincoln, RI, and Upton, MA.

When asked what she thought of vendors who try to sell fake Native American artwork, she replied with the following:

"It they are selling them at a pow wow as Native made, that's wrong," she said. "If they keep the tags on them, they are being truthful. Love, honor and truth—that's the essence of a pow wow."

Millard explained how she once saw a vendor add a feather to a dream-catcher and call it "Native made."

"You're supposed to have dealers that are honest," said the store owner.

With recent changes to the 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act by Congress, those vendors may now have a harder time selling ware imported from outside the country and passing it off as "Native made."

Vendors throughout the country have been trying to pass off goods made in other countries as handmade Native American ware for years.

They will sometimes sell wares without a stamp of origin from the country, such as "Made in China," and remove paper tags that read the history of the product.

According to a recent article by the Associated Press, there is no way to tell exactly how much Indian-style art is counterfeit, but trade groups estimated 10 years ago the number to be at least half of all Indian-style art sold in the United States.

In July, President Barack Obama signed into law the Tribal Law and Order Act, which strengthens and enforces laws on Native American reservations. As part of the act, the law permits all federal law enforcement officers, including officers of the National Parks Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to inspect wares believed to be misrepresentations of Native American art.

The change in enforcement is intended to allow FBI agencies more time to investigate other crimes, while still keeping an eye on fraudulent artwork. According to the AP, a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs report from September 2008 found that millions of dollars were diverted each year from Indian artists to counterfeiters.

While the Portsmouth woman makes and sells handmade jewelry, she also purchases artwork and other items from outside the country, not because of costs, but because of geology, she says.

"I buy turquoise from China not because it's cheaper, but because that's where it comes from," Millard said. "The mines in New Mexico are now mostly closed."

The color of turquoise, according to Millard, can vary depending on the mine from light green to yellow to deep blue. Turquoise from the northwest is covered in a brown matrix webbing. Turquoise from China has a black webbing.

Vendors will sometimes dye Howlite and Magnesite stones, which are naturally white, to pass off the stone as turquoise. To tell if a store has been dyed to appear like turquoise, all a customer has to do is look down the drilled hole, says Millard.

If the stone is dyed, the shaft of the hole will be white, the stone's natural color, according to the CCRI professor.

While Millard sells wares from outside the country, she makes no attempt to pass them off as being from the United States. She walked throughout the store pointing to various objects and naming their country of origin.

Millard said that it is impossible to get some products in the United States. "By offering things made outside the country, you are still keeping the culture alive," she said. "People still have a choice."

The Portsmouth resident also invests in the works of local artists, displaying their work in the store for sale.

All of the store's merchandise is "sustainable," according to the store's owner, meaning the original material was not grown for profit. For example, Millard showed off a small wooden statue, which was carved using wood from a growth in a tree.

Millard, a professor of geology, oceanography and astrology at CCRI, Newport and Providence campuses, for the past 10 years, has owned and operated Natures for the past three.

Natures will celebrate its third anniversary with a Halloween event on Oct. 29. Guests are encouraged to visit the store in costume to receive a discount.

A former miner, Millard became a store owner and professor after an accident, in which she fell and broke her neck. "I couldn't swing a hammer anymore," she said. "My whole life changed because of the stones."

Today, Natures is no longer a "nature" store. "It has evolved into a wellness center," she said.

Millard described the experience of visiting her store as "being a kid and going into the gift shop at a museum."

Natures sells minerals, herbs, sage, shells and more. A few of the minerals available include pyrite, blue kyanite, amber, copper, azurite and onyx.

"I want them (shoppers) to see what they don't see," Millard said. "People forget to look at the crack in the sidewalk and see the flower growing ... I want them to appreciate nature. I'm fortunate to put some of that nature all in one place." 

Natures, located at 151 Chase Road, is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.