Kelsey Indian Trading Co., Zuni: History, Smiths & Stamps

Kelsey Indian Trading Co. was a Zuni, New Mexico, trading post that, in 1940, had "over 30 silversmiths" making jewelry for it (Hougart 2022, p. 363). Charles Kelsey was trading at Zuni by 1919 (Chambless & Ryan 2021, p. 185). Many of its smiths were Navajo, not Zuni, so we name each maker's tribe.

Founding and people

Our sources don't record when the post opened or who founded it. The earliest date is 1919: "Wallace had begun working for Charles Kelsey at Zuni in 1919 and was operating his own trading post in 1928" (Chambless & Ryan 2021, p. 185). That is C. G. Wallace, of C. G. Wallace Trading Post. Hodge, quoted by Bedinger, placed the Zuni smith Kuwishti's shop "on the south side of the river, just across the road from Kelsey's trading post" (Bedinger 1973, p. 131, quoting Hodge 1928).

Ike Wilson (Navajo) "worked for many years with the Kelsey Trading Company near Zuni, beginning about 1925" (Hougart 2020, p. 104). Katherine Wilson (Navajo) worked alongside him there (Hougart 2020, p. 104). Other Navajo smiths tied to Kelsey: Charlie Bitsui (Hougart 2022, p. 64), Ambrose Roanhorse in the 1930s (Hougart 2020, p. 79), Ambrose Lincoln (Hougart 2020, p. 48), Austin Wilson (Hougart 2022, p. 339) and Sam Jackson (Hougart 2022, p. 152). Zuni smiths Frank Vacit (Hougart 2020, p. 99) and David Tsikewa (Hougart 2020, p. 96) worked there too. Nearly all of them also worked for Wallace.

Bryant Waatsa (Zuni) "sold to all the old-time Zuni traders, including Ed Kelsey, the Vanderwagens, and C. G. Wallace" (Bahti 2007, p. 190). Our sources don't say how Ed and Charles were related, or whether Ed ran this business.

Marks and what to look for

Hougart lists three Kelsey marks: KELSEY CO, U. S. NAVAJO 5 and U. S. ZUNI 5 (Hougart 2022, p. 363). We have the text of KELSEY CO, not an image.

The two numbered marks were government stamps assigned in 1938, and the assignment itself reads "Kelsey Indian Trading Co., Zuni, NM, or Pueblo Indian Arts and Crafts Market" (Hougart 2020, p. 130). Kenneth Chapman's first tally that spring counted 170 Kelsey pieces (Hougart 2020, p. 129). But on June 10, 1941, Chapman recorded stamping 13 pieces from the Pueblo Indian Arts and Crafts Market with US Navajo 5, and 36 more with US Zuni 5 (Hougart 2020, p. 147). A 5 stamp alone doesn't prove a piece came through Kelsey.

Either way, these marks name the dealer, not the maker. Hougart also notes that Charlie Bitsui "probably used the flower stamp, perhaps moonlighting at Wallace's operation, while working for Charles Kelsey" (Hougart 2022, p. 373).

Legacy

What Kelsey left is its people: Wallace, who started there, and the smiths who worked there. The last dated mention in our sources is 1940; they don't record when the post closed, who took it over, or whether it sold wholesale.

From the Library: Adair, The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths (1944)

1944 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1944, not today.

According to Adair (1944, p. 79), the first Navajo silversmith to live at Zuni and work for a trader was Ike Wilson's father, Son of White Haired Man, who worked for Charles Kelsey; writing of the late 1930s, Adair put that over twenty years earlier. [6]

According to Adair (1944, p. 79), in the late 1930s Kelsey's smith Charlie Bitsui worked in a modernized hogan owned by the trader, with a wooden floor, windows and a long workbench for several smiths. [6]

According to Adair (1944, p. 122), the government farmer Douglas D. Graham obtained a forge and a full set of tools for the Zuni blacksmith Kuwishti, who set up his forge on the south side of the river, just across the road from Kelsey's trading post. [6]

According to Adair (1944, p. 140), Mrs. Lewis of Zuni wrote that in 1932 Kelsey had the Navajo smith Ike Wilson make the first silver Knife bird, taken from a design on a Fred Harvey letterhead; the first ones were plain and later he inlaid them with turquoise. [6]

From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)

2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.

Schaaf (2003), spelling the name Kuwishte, wrote:

“In 1889, Kuwishte received a forge and a set of blacksmith tools.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 207 [7]

Schaaf (2003) also wrote that in 1902

“Matilda Coxe Stevenson collected perhaps the first Zuni inlay jewelry”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 207 [7]

Field Notes by Mateo James

This page credits the line placing Kuwishti's shop across the road from Kelsey's to Hodge, as quoted by Bedinger. In Adair's 1944 book the same words are Adair's own account of the forge the government farmer obtained for Kuwishti, with Hodge cited only for the date. It is a small difference in who said it, so I note both.

A note on accuracy. We strive for accuracy, and this page is continuously updated with new information from the artists, their families, and the community. Corrections welcome.

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Sources

  1. Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. 2007. p. 190.
  2. Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. 1973. p. 131 (quoting Hodge 1928, p. 231).
  3. Chambless, Philip, and Mike Ryan II. Turquoise in America, Part One: The Great American Turquoise Rush, 1890–1910. 2021. p. 185.
  4. Hougart, Bille. 100 Collectible Native American Silversmiths and Their Hallmarks. 2020. pp. 48, 79, 96, 99, 104, 129, 130, 147.
  5. Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. 2022. pp. 64, 152, 339, 363, 373.
  6. Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. The Civilization of the American Indian Series. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1944. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1944.
  7. Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.

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