We still remember that tourist from Europe we ran into in Scottsdale a year ago who wanted to know where “all the Indians” lived and worked! Someone we’ve known for a while, who resides in Prescott, is a Native equally at home in his traditional society and in the wider world of art, antiques, and collectibles. We’re referring to talented Navajo silversmith and jeweler Ernie Lister, who runs a small antiques shop off the lobby of the Montezuma Hotel, a historic old-time lodging place. His Hotel Trading Company features tantalizing Native and non-Native vintage works, from concha belts to pottery to estate jewelry and adornment.

While he minds the store, Ernie also runs his work bench, from which spot he fashions delectable silver and stone creations. He’s a top-of-the-line artist, able to switch back and forth from old style to avant-garde forms, whose works are sought by collectors at home and abroad (he has a following in Japan). One of his pieces appears in our forthcoming book Southwestern Indian Rings (Schiffer, November 2011). Lister is a refreshing example of a Native art expert in Indian country, and a change from the non-Native dealers who dominate the vintage Indian arts market.