Oak Creek Overlook Artisan Market Adds to Cultural Exchange

In 1988, NACA was awarded a grant from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) to develop a Native American arts and crafts vendor project. This vendor project is known as the Oak Creek Overlook Artisan Market.

Prior to establishing the vendor project, Native Americans attempted to sell their arts and crafts illegally at the Oak Creek Canyon Overlook (OL). The OL is located on land managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS). The illegal vending resulted in penalties for violating federal statutes, arrests/fines for illegal parking, confiscation of vendor wares and general chaos when law enforcement officials attempted to enforce federal regulations.

Frustrated by past failures to solve the illegal vendor issues, the USFS approached NACA to explore possible solutions. The initial meeting involved many governmental entities equally impacted by the illegal vending. After meetings and discussions, it was agreed that Native Americans would be allowed to sell their arts and crafts legally if NACA provided management for the project in cooperation with the USFS.

In 1988, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the USFS and NACA, thus establishing a legal Native American arts and crafts vending project located at the Oak Creek Vista Overlook. The project constitutes a unique cooperative relationship between a federal governmental agency (USFS) and a private non-profit Indigenous corporation (NACA, Inc.)

The Oak Creek Vista Vendor Project has operated successfully for the past 35 vendor seasons/years. The project creates a unique opportunity for Native Americans to enhance and develop their economic self-sufficiency and lessen public assistance dependency.

The OL program is set up as an economic development project to include program participants representing Native Tribes that live in the region.

The targeted clientele of this site is the international, national, regional and local visiting public during the four seasons that Flagstaff has.

According to the Northern Arizona Native American Culture Trail website, “each year, the Grand Canyon attracts 4.4 million tourists. However, only a few visit tribal lands, and native people see little of the $687 million tourism benefit. . . . Native business profits are grown by intentionally fostering understanding and appreciation of Native [culture] and arts. Artisans typically travel to shows to find potential customers, but this program builds bridges to the large, yet untapped, market of tourists already coming to Northern Arizona. Domestic and international visitors are drawn to Northern Arizona by its spectacular scenery and recreation. Vendors interacting with customers allow for the enrichment of why Native cultures are worth experiencing and remembering through Native arts and crafts.”

The OL Vista site creates an ideal location for the visiting public to view the site’s natural and ever-changing wonders. This site is the most visited site in the Coconino Forest Service region. This program connects artisans with customers to increase cultural exchange, education and sales.

The OL Vista site is located between Sedona and Flagstaff, two towns highly sought out by visitors to Arizona. Sedona is popular for its red rock scenery, shopping, hiking and metaphysical sites. Flagstaff, for its high-country atmosphere, shopping, scenery and for being one of the gateway communities to the Grand Canyon National Park. Both towns offer an array of tourism interests including the selling of Native jewelry, arts and crafts by retail stores. The OL program capitalizes on this; the added attraction is the direct selling of wares from artisan to customer. This creates cultural exchange, a very favorable part of the OL experience, as many visitors indicate that the OL was highly recommended to them by past visitors, family and friends who visited the site.

The vending program also requires its program participants to sell only Native American handmade/handcrafted jewelry, art and crafts. The site rangers do daily inspections of inventory sold at the site to ensure this requirement. Having the vendors sell only authentic Native jewelry, arts and crafts makes this site unique, as other roadside businesses do not always ensure that.

The visiting public now enjoys a maintained site on federal land, at no expense to the individual taxpayer. The OL site provides clean public restrooms. Each year, maintenance work is done for visitor appreciation of the site. This location is also handicapped accessible. FBN

By Dorothy Denetsosie Gishie

For more information about the Overlook vendor program, contact Program Manager Dorothy Gishie, at ddgishie@nacainc.org.  NACA’s Family Health Center currently offers the seasonal flu vaccine, as well as the COVID-19 Moderna and Pfizer primary vaccines, and the COVID-19 bivalent booster. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 928-773-1245.

Dorothy Denetsosie Gishie is Navajo, of the Rock Gap Clan from Preston Mesa, born for the Towering House Clan. Her maternal grandfather is Bitter Water Clan and her paternal grandfather is Yucca Fruit Strung Clan. She has been in the Flagstaff community for 35 years and has worked 33 years with Native Americans for Community Action, Inc. (NACA). As program manager of NACA’s Overlook Vendor Program, Dorothy works closely with the Coconino Forest Service. She is the current Interim CEO for NACA and has served as a community advocate, on many committees, as well as on the board of directors within the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County.