Tali (Two Feathers) was born on a cold December morning in 1956 . Ever since I was a small child, being "Indian" was all important to me. I remember well picking up brown bags full of sharp black arrowheads in my grandfather's fields, week after week for years. Only a child's imagination limited the dreams I had while wondering about the men who made those arrowheads thousands of years ago.
An uneventful childhood, the love of family and wonderful memories abound. We were poor but my father and mother worked long and hard to provide for us. I will always be grateful to my Father and Mother for instilling in me a sense of honor, respect and thankfulness for everything life has to offer, something very rare these days which I have passed on to my son of whom I am very proud.
As a teenager, the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains was my playground. There was no greater influence in my life that to be one with nature and all her creatures. I was fortunate enough to meet them all, befriend most and avoid a few of the smellier ones.
As an adult I joined the US Army where I served honorably and enjoyed every minute of it..
Almost 36 years ago, I accepted this lifelong labor of love and began making all types of carvings, mainly pipes.
There was no "old teacher", no wise old pipemaker to pass down his craft. Everything I practice today is a duplicate of technique used making old, ancient pipes or my own style. Somehow, it was a life-path that led me to here. Times are not always good or easy and I know I will never retire or call myself even marginally "secure", still I do this day in and day out as I will until the end of my life journey.
This path has also afforded me the opportunity to meet and befriend some of the finest people on earth. At the same time I have been witness to humanity's darker side.
There will always be those who seek to defeat your good heart, your good intentions and take from you .
I would not give this short summary of who I am without telling you about the power of the pipe. Although generalized today, the pipe is a tool that if abused, will come back and hurt you.The pipe has one purpose, prayer. The pipe is to be used ONLY with sacred Tobacco. If you order a pipe from me for the intent and purpose to use it to consume illegal drugs, I would rather you got your pipe from someone else, as I will not make a pipe for that purpose for any price.
I carry and use a pipe in the sacred manner.
I have been honored to make presentation pipes for Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and made our brother Leonard Peltier a new pipe by request, when his was broken in a prison riot. (see below)
It may also interest you that a good measure of the actual pipes in Lar Hothem's Collector's Guide To Indian Pipes (and some other famous books)were made by me. When the book was published, I was shocked and angered to see that many of my pipestone pipes were in the book, in various collections and had false history attached to them. It is a sad and sorry shame that there are so many dishonest traders and re-sellers who profit from removing signatures from carvings, age them and resell them as old. I was even told recently by a "trader" that I was singlehandedly ruining the fake pipe business by signing (as I always have) my pipes and listing them on Ebay and my web site for public viewing. well, good for me!!!!
Many years ago, I used to go to schools, churches, scout meetings and such to share Granny Bird's old stories and ways with our children. It is my fondest hope that a few of the stories I have told over the years may have made an impression on a child and perhaps made them appreciate the natural world just a little more. I am very grateful to have had that opportunity.
You may also want to know about my Indian Heritage.
I can assure you that I am an "enrolled" Cherokee Indian. My blood runs back to the Ani-tsisqua, Bird Clan of the Cherokee people thru my Grandmother, Bessie Bird who was born on the Qualla Boundary in about 1907, missed the Baker roll of 1924 to become "unenrolled" along with her decendants.
I am a proud member of The Echota Cherokee Tribe. We are descendants of famous war chiefs like Draggin' Canoe who warred against white encroachment and against the will of the principal leadership of the Cherokee . Later known as the Chickamauga Cherokee, our ancestors hid out in the forests and hills of the southern Appalachians to avoid removal and never rejoined the organized tribes until 1984 when the tribe won state recognition in Alabama.
Any purchase you make from me will be accompanied (by request) with a statement of authenticity, type stone, my tribal affiliation and enrollment number.
to insure you are buying a genuine Native American hand made item.
I also "farm" native medicinal herbs. We live on a forested hilltop where many of nature's medicines grow wild, a place I named "Echota Usdi"(little echota) many years ago when I bought this land.. I have also brought in many more that thrive in the rich dark earth and shade. As the season permits, I list these herbs on this site for your choosing.
My Paternal grandfather was one of the greatest of "natural" medicine men who ever walked and taught me only a fraction of his vast knowledge before his untimely death. Although I do not give advice except to my family, I do sell these indigenous medicinal plants.
There is always something "cooking" here on the hilltop. In time, I will revise this page to include much more that may be of interest to you, my friends!
In the Spirit Of Draggin' Canoe and from the land in which he stood in defiance!!!!!
My Friends call me "Tali", I hope you are one!!
