Beaded Pouch Necklace
by Maynard White Owl Lavadour, Cayuse and Nez Perce
Leather with contemporary beads
30” long, 2 5/8” Long x 3.25” wide Pendant
Maynard White Owl Lavadour (Cayuse/Nez Perce, b. 1960) is recognized as one of the premier Plateau bead artists of his generation. This miniature cradle is his work. It was made in 1999 and will be featured in the upcoming “Something for Everyone” exhibition. The cradle is 19½” tall (with fringe) x 6¼” x 2½” and made of glass beads, Native-tanned leather, cloth and thread.
Lavadour was born in Pendleton, Oregon, and grew up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. As a young person, he spent considerable time with his elders and began learning to make beadwork at age five. By the age of ten he was creating cradleboards, clothing, and woven cornhusk objects.
Lavadour attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the early 1980s, and then returned to the Pendleton area. He has won numerous prizes at Indian art markets throughout the United States and his work is highly prized by both museums and private collectors.
