Designed and Makah Woman-Made, with Quality and Traditional Materials
First Daylight Designs is a "one woman show", and came about due to my need to practice my traditions and to engage my creative side more. I am an enrolled member of the Makah Indian Nation, which is located on the furthest northwestern tip of the contiguous U.S. in Washington State. I was raised on the Makah Indian reservation, and I grew up surrounded by a rich culture and by artists, craftspeople, and by various culture bearers. I was fortunate to have known my great-grandmother and some of her sisters, who were all accomplished weavers who made basketry out of the inner bark of the Western Red Cedar tree and various types of marsh grasses. My community relied on the appeal of basketry within the tourist economy in the latter half of the 19th century into the first half of the 20th century. Today, there are fewer weavers who rely on the tradition as a major part of their income due to the time that must be dedicated to gathering and processing materials, producing the weaving, and finding a consistent market. These constraints reflect the difficult that an ancient tradition faces in a modern world wherein families rely on a regular paycheck. Some of these reasons affect the work that I produce; I don't have as much access to traditional materials here in Seattle, and being a mom, my time is precious. I tend to work on small pieces that I have enough materials and time to dedicate to. This gives me the freedom to innovate, and to integrate small woven pieces into jewelry. In effect, I think that this allows someone to carry a small example of an important Makah weaving tradition with them.
The appeal that jewelry making has for me lies in our own traditions of wearing jewelry from three types of shells that are recognized as riches, not only to Makah people, but within the greater Pacific Northwest. Abalone shell was traded for from northern California, and made its way up the coast. Dentalia shells, a white tubular "tusk-like" shell, had to be retrieved from the ocean floor by divers in Makah territory and in Canada, and the trade system extended all the way to the Great Plains. The purple olivella shell is the only shell that is gathered by hand by my family members or by me. It exists only one other place in the world, and is a controlled natural resource gathered only once a year under certain conditions. I have been purchasing the majority of my jewelry making materials from a small, family-owned, Pacific Northwest-based company since I was very young. You'll notice that I use a lot of cobalt blue glass, copper, brass, sterling silver, and the colors red and black-cobalt blue and metal beads are highly prized adapted materials, and red and black are important colors to the coastal peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
I am capable of making traditional Makah style jewelry, but I tend to enjoy innovating and integrating Makah style with a modern and wearable vibe. Also, I tend to make a lot of earrings because I can finish those quickly (and I wear three other hats in life, so that aspect is important). I have also created custom pieces per request, as well as very large items. Please see the Instagram associated with my work to see what other projects I have completed or to see what is in the process! Also, I like feedback and learning about fun possibilities for what I could be turning out. Enjoy!
MaryJane
