Marjorie Kalama (Warm Springs) makes traditional loomed and tack-down beadwork. Her method of two-needled tack-down beading requires the simultaneous use of two needles with different sized threads. Kalama has won six awards for her beadwork at tribal member art shows.
Bio
Marjorie Kalama is a traditional beadworker. She makes both loomed and tack-down varities. At age seventeen, Kalama learned loomed beadwork from her mother, who had herself learned from her very traditional Warm Springs family. In 1977, Kalama turned to the two-needle tack-down style of beading in order to make dance outfits for her children. This method requires the simultaneous use of two needles with two different sized threads. With one needle, she picks up two beads and with the other, she tacks them to the fabric or deerskin. Kalama beads every day, making earrings, wallets, moccasins, dresses, vests, regalia, cuffs, bows on baby boards, and more. She occasionally takes special orders, but some items, like medallions, which have personal symbols of her life, are for family members only. Kalama has won six awards for her beadwork at Tribal member art shows.
