Sep 20, 2010

Portsmouth Store Owner Carries on Native American TraditionsBy Sandy McGeePortsmouth.Patch.com

Portsmouth, RI – Walking to the back of Natures! on Chase Road, one can see tiny purple seashells shining behind rows of minerals. The shells are polished, a deep rich violet hue, and dangle from shining sterling silver.

These earrings were not made in China, Indonesia or the Philippines, but feet away in Portsmouth by store owner Nancy Millard.

Millard, who is half Mohawk, continues the tradition of making Native American goods by hand. She polishes wampum—the purple part of the quahog shell—and makes her own jewelry using this material found along local beaches.

The practice, while traditional, is still very dangerous, says Millard. “It’s poisonous to cut without protection,” said the store owner, who wears protective gloves and a respiratory mask.

Millard, a college professor at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), travels to various Native American pow wow to sell her ware. She has been preparing for two pow wows, which were held this past weekend in Lincoln, RI, and Upton, MA.

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