Artists of Natachu INK

Elroy Natachu Jr.
Natachu INK: Co-Owner
Zuni Artisan/Cultural Demonstrator

Keshishi!

Ho' Elroy Natachu Jr. le'shina.

Ho K'yakyali:kwe deyan Mula Bitchi:kwe a:wan cha'le.

Hom tsitda Carolyn Eriacho le'shinna. 
Hom datchu Elroy Natachu Sr. le'shinna. 
Hom wowo Betty Natachu le'shinna. 
Hom nana deyakona Yelmo Natachu Sr. le'shinnak'ya. 
Hom hotda deyakona Lorretta Eriacho le'shinnak'ya. 
Hom nana deyakona Sefferino Eriacho Sr. le'shinnk'ya. 

Hello!
My name is Elroy Natachu Jr.

My clans are Golden Eagle and child of a Scarlet Macaw.

My Mother's name is Carolyn Eriacho.
My Father's name is Elroy Natachu Sr.
My Paternal Grandmother's name is Betty Natachu.
My Late Paternal Grandfather's name was Yelmo Natachu Sr.
My Late Maternal Grandmother's name was Lorretta Eriacho.
My Late Maternal Grandfather's name was Sefferino Eriacho Sr.

 My artistic journey started at a young age. I was born into a family of native craft specialists. I grew up mainly on my mother’s side of the family, with my grandfather Sefferino L. Eriacho Sr as my moral/spiritual compass. He taught discipline as well as stories of Zuni and its vast history/religion. From this teaching, I began working through visual media, sketches, drawings.

         As an artist, I learned at an early age to overcome various obstacles. I was born with one semi-formed left hand and one fully formed right hand. With this condition, I still managed to learn various arts such as beading, embroidery, sewing, painting (watercolor, oil paints, acrylics), and carving (kachina dolls, fetishes).

      I began to hone my craft during my senior year of high school. From there, I started to study Studio Arts at the University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus. I learned various skills, styles, and genres that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Though I was out of my comfort zone, the experience moved my art to the next caliber: infusing traditional figures and detail with a modern twist.

      My primary subject matter of choice is that of the Zuni Kachinas. The reason is to instill a sense of cultural preservation; in this modern age, the younger generation did not grow up as I did. I hope to help further enforce the importance of oral tradition and the passing of knowledge, with the stories and teaching of how these sacred beings and entities were held in high regard by our ancestors. Through my use of visual media, I seek to bridge the past with the present.

Kandis M. Quam
Natachu INK: Co-Owner
Zuni Artisan/Cultural Anthropologist B.A.

Keshishi!

Ho' Kandis Quam le'shina.

Ho Bit'ahnii deyan K'yakyali:kwe a:wan cha'le.

Hom tsitda Jayne Quam le'shinna. 
Hom datchu Lynn Quam le'shinna. 
Hom wowo deyakona Annie Gasper le'shinnak'ya. 
Hom nana deyakona Lambert Homer le'shinnak'ya. 
Hom hotda deyakona Bahe Tom le'shinnak'ya. 
Hom nana deyakona George Tom le'shinnk'ya.

Hello!
My name is Kandis Quam

My clans are Folded Arm People and child of an Eagle.

My Mother's name is Jayne Quam.
My Father's name is Lynn Quam.
My Late Paternal Grandmother's name was Annie Gasper.
My Late Paternal Grandfather's name was Lambert Homer.
My Late Maternal Grandmother's name was Bahe Tom.
My Late Maternal Grandfather's name was George Tom.

Art has always been in my life, from the moment I was born. I come from a family of well-known native artists.  As a result of growing in an artistic family, I got to watch and learn from my parents, Jayne and Lynn Quam, to navigate the art show world. Even at a young age, I knew my destiny was/is to continue the Quam family legacy of art.

However, I also wanted to be in the first in my family to graduate college. Once I graduated from Zuni High School, I went to New Mexico State University-Main Campus. Five years later, I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology and a minor in American Indian Studies. From then on, I went back home to the Pueblo of Zuni and began building up Natachu INK full time with my cousin Elroy Natachu Jr.

In the early summer of 2014, Elroy began to teach me how to paint and do other areas of the arts, such as: making traditional clothes, making jewelry, and embroidery. Through every piece of art I do, I aim to push my art to the next caliber: infusing the traditional with a modern twist.

My primary subject matter of choice is imagery with heavy Zuni influence. The reason is to instill a sense of cultural preservation in this modern age, the younger generation. I hope to help further enforce the importance of oral tradition and the passing of knowledge, with the stories and teaching of how these sacred beings and entities were held in high regard by our ancestors. Through visual media, I seek to bridge the past with the present and create change through beauty.

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