"We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are."
Anaïs Nin
i wanted turquoise, instead i got red.
My family was on our annual summer road and camping adventure when I experienced a cross-cultural incident that I can still recall vividly. My parents decided that this year’s trip would focus on America’s Southwestern states. We jammed our minivan with supplies, hitched up our trusty pop-up trailer, grabbed a couple AAA maps and headed to the “Four Corners” states -- Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Midway through the two-week trip we found ourselves in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My parents had me in mind when they included Santa Fe as one of the stops on our cross-country tour. They had taken an anniversary trip to Santa Fe previously and knew that I would fall in love with the city because of its vibrant arts culture.
After a morning of window shopping and museum hopping, my parents took me and my younger sister, Kristin, to the famed Indian Market located in downtown’s Santa Fe Plaza. This unique market, presented by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, has grown into the world’s largest market of Native American art. Here one can find Native American painting, jewelry, textiles, baskets, beadwork, turquoise, pottery, sculpture, and leather goods, among other things.
The market was originally started in 1922 as the First Annual Southwest Indian Fair and has since increased in size and prestige. Here generations of artisan families share their treasured traditional crafts alongside innovative, contemporary works (Santa Fe, n.d.). The 600 vendor-artisans who line their tables in Santa Fe Plaza with their phenomenal, hand-crafted wares, are respected as true artists and craftspeople, not just hobbyists. People come from all over the world to shop.
My family and I walked into the plaza and immediately I had my eye on the prize: turquoise! I had saved a nice chunk of change from my after-school and weekend job working at a local dog grooming shop and knew that I would return to Pennsylvania with a piece of turquoise jewelry. Of course, the Indian Market had gorgeous turquoise rings, earrings, necklaces, belts, brooches, pins and more! I was overwhelmed with my options so spent considerable time carefully considering the banquet of turquoise before me. I did a thorough once-over of the vendor tables, taking note of the handicrafts and vendors I cared to revisit.
I was aware that I probably stood out as a tourist. This combined with the fact that I looked younger than I actually was might put me in the position of being taken advantage of when it came to discussing fair prices of pieces. I was nervous, and in my thirteen year old ignorance and naïveté, started to haggle. I did not fully understand what a bargaining script was supposed to sound like, but I had been on many garage sale excursions with my grandmother and had witnessed her doing something that looked and sounded like haggling, so I tried my hand at it. The first awkward exchange went something like this:
Me: I’m interested in this ring, but I don’t see a price. How much is it?
Vendor: Miss, that one is $40.
Me: Well, that sounds too high to me. Will you take $20?
Vendor: No, sorry, that ring is $40.
Me: Ummm… ok, well, how about $25? Or $30? It doesn’t look like it should cost $40.
Vendor: [politely, but firmly] This ring is $40. It may look simple, but the materials are excellent quality. My mother actually made this one – she wasn’t able to make it to the market today otherwise she could tell you more about how it was made. You can see its quality in the details in the silver here. The character of this turquoise is very unique as well.
Me: [flustered] Ok, great, I’ll take it, please. [hands over two $20 bills]
A similar exchange occurred after this one over a less expensive pair of hammered silver earrings. I threw a low-ball price pitch to the vendor which was refused, then, I pitched another unrealistic and unacceptable offer delivered in a tone that could be described as snarky and defensive. In the end, I paid the full prices for my jewelry. In retrospect, these were very fair prices for such works of art.
After a morning of window shopping and museum hopping, my parents took me and my younger sister, Kristin, to the famed Indian Market located in downtown’s Santa Fe Plaza. This unique market, presented by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, has grown into the world’s largest market of Native American art. Here one can find Native American painting, jewelry, textiles, baskets, beadwork, turquoise, pottery, sculpture, and leather goods, among other things.
The market was originally started in 1922 as the First Annual Southwest Indian Fair and has since increased in size and prestige. Here generations of artisan families share their treasured traditional crafts alongside innovative, contemporary works (Santa Fe, n.d.). The 600 vendor-artisans who line their tables in Santa Fe Plaza with their phenomenal, hand-crafted wares, are respected as true artists and craftspeople, not just hobbyists. People come from all over the world to shop.
My family and I walked into the plaza and immediately I had my eye on the prize: turquoise! I had saved a nice chunk of change from my after-school and weekend job working at a local dog grooming shop and knew that I would return to Pennsylvania with a piece of turquoise jewelry. Of course, the Indian Market had gorgeous turquoise rings, earrings, necklaces, belts, brooches, pins and more! I was overwhelmed with my options so spent considerable time carefully considering the banquet of turquoise before me. I did a thorough once-over of the vendor tables, taking note of the handicrafts and vendors I cared to revisit.
I was aware that I probably stood out as a tourist. This combined with the fact that I looked younger than I actually was might put me in the position of being taken advantage of when it came to discussing fair prices of pieces. I was nervous, and in my thirteen year old ignorance and naïveté, started to haggle. I did not fully understand what a bargaining script was supposed to sound like, but I had been on many garage sale excursions with my grandmother and had witnessed her doing something that looked and sounded like haggling, so I tried my hand at it. The first awkward exchange went something like this:
Me: I’m interested in this ring, but I don’t see a price. How much is it?
Vendor: Miss, that one is $40.
Me: Well, that sounds too high to me. Will you take $20?
Vendor: No, sorry, that ring is $40.
Me: Ummm… ok, well, how about $25? Or $30? It doesn’t look like it should cost $40.
Vendor: [politely, but firmly] This ring is $40. It may look simple, but the materials are excellent quality. My mother actually made this one – she wasn’t able to make it to the market today otherwise she could tell you more about how it was made. You can see its quality in the details in the silver here. The character of this turquoise is very unique as well.
Me: [flustered] Ok, great, I’ll take it, please. [hands over two $20 bills]
A similar exchange occurred after this one over a less expensive pair of hammered silver earrings. I threw a low-ball price pitch to the vendor which was refused, then, I pitched another unrealistic and unacceptable offer delivered in a tone that could be described as snarky and defensive. In the end, I paid the full prices for my jewelry. In retrospect, these were very fair prices for such works of art.
I left the market with the turquoise I sought, but also left with red cheeks. I felt equally embarrassed and livid at my dad for making me endure that humiliation! Why couldn’t he have just helped me instead of letting me making a fool of myself?! After these two emotions subsided, I then felt intense remorse about my lack of tact in conversing with the vendors. I realized that I had not demonstrated proper bargaining etiquette and likely had unintentionally disrespected the Native American artisans.
I learned some important lessons about humility and respect for others while reflecting on this encounter at the market. As a young girl on her journey to becoming an artist, I also gained a deeper appreciation for Native American craftspeople. I went to the market, looking for something pretty and for the thrill of the deal. I was greedy and was suspicious that I would be taken advantage of – the fact that my purchase was directly supporting the local artisans’ livelihood completely escaped me.
Today, as an artist who has had the opportunity to sell my artwork in market and gallery settings, I cringe at how I addressed the vendors at the Santa Fe Indian Market. I know from experience how much time and effort goes into honing one’s craft. I personally understand and can appreciate the effort put forth to market one’s craft, confidently put a price on one’s art, and most importantly, support oneself financially through the sale of one’s work.
My market experience taught me about humility. I also learned that when I find myself in a vulnerable position, I ought not to look at others with suspicion, but with respect, and at the very least, an open mind. On a broader level, what I learned could be applied to a broader understanding of cultural humility. In the future, I will likely work closely with people of different cultures and social statuses. Recognizing and respecting power imbalances to create respectful partnerships will be critical in working toward a shared goal and building relationships on a foundation of trust (Murray-Garcia & Tervalon, 1998, p. 118).
Embracing cultural humility will be a lifelong learning process. Through meaningful self-reflection, I strive to have my worldview, or how I view my physical and social reality, be more inclusive (Koltko-Rivera, 2004, p. 4). I hope that future cross-cultural learning experiences will foster a stronger allegiance to the “worldwide community of human beings” (Banks, 2004, p. 294). Ultimately, I hope that humility will lead to wisdom and a deeper understanding of the world and its people.
references
Banks, J. (2004). Teaching for Social Justice, Diversity, and Citizenship in a Global World. The Educational Forum, 68, 289-298. Retrieved in 2014, from https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZWFzdGVybi5lZHV8Y3Jvc3MtY3VsdHVyYWwtc2tpbGxzfGd4OjFhMzQxNWI4YzY5MjUyZGI&u=0
Koltko-Rivera, M. (2004). The Psychology of Worldviews. Review of General Psychology, 8(1), 3-58. Retrieved in 2014, from https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZWFzdGVybi5lZHV8Y3Jvc3MtY3VsdHVyYWwtc2tpbGxzfGd4OjcwNzA5ZmQ0YTBkZTEzMWQ&u=0
Murray-Garcia, J. & Tervalon, M. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117-125.
Santa Fe (n.d.). Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/Things_to_Do/Indian_Market/
Koltko-Rivera, M. (2004). The Psychology of Worldviews. Review of General Psychology, 8(1), 3-58. Retrieved in 2014, from https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZWFzdGVybi5lZHV8Y3Jvc3MtY3VsdHVyYWwtc2tpbGxzfGd4OjcwNzA5ZmQ0YTBkZTEzMWQ&u=0
Murray-Garcia, J. & Tervalon, M. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117-125.
Santa Fe (n.d.). Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/Things_to_Do/Indian_Market/