Kim Tali (Two Feathers) was born December, 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 only 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 .
At 17, I joined the US Army where I served honorably.
A very dark and bitter part of who and what I am followed me out of the Army. To this very day, it has great influence over me, my ability to work and my very soul. 1974 was a terrible year as have been most years since. Regardless, that year of my life made me who I am today and "drove" me to making the pipe.
Some years ago, I accepted this lifelong labor of love and began making all types of carvings, mainly pipes. At first, making pipes was something to keep me alive and nothing more. In time, I grew to love the solitude, being alone with the stone and have it talk to me.
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.
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)
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 1897, missed the Baker roll of 1924 to become "unenrolled" along with her decendants. Many years of frustration regarding the modern system of "who is and who is not Indian" was very painful for us.
I am glad to say that I and most of my family are once again enrolled, recognized Cherokee people after a long , hard fight..
As I update this page and web site as of August 27th, 2011, I am no longer making or offering pipes for sale. After a long 30 years and tens of thousands of pipes made, I have given the craft up for good. Those of you who were my customers and friends, I thank you. I could not have made it to here and today without you.
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!!
