The Raven’s Nest has been serving Pike Place Market patrons since 1989.

Question: Is The Raven’s Nest Native owned?

Answer: No, we are not a Native owned shop. The Raven’s Nest was established in 1989 by Matthew Steinbrueck, eldest son of the man credited with saving the market from destruction in the early 70s, Victor Steinbrueck. Matthew, as a certified GIA Gemologist, primarily had interest in selling gems and jewelry - hence that portion of our store. But when folks from around town started to bring in their art to sell, he bought pieces directly from those artists. Many folks who have called Seattle home for a long time know of the Williams brothers of Nitinat Nootka descent who were some of the first artists the shop had the honor of representing. And it grew from there.

The next generation of Steinbruecks are now in the store with Matthew’s eldest son, Conrad, leading the charge. We are aware of the conversations around non-Native folks in and around Native presenting spaces. We work hard to ensure that we accurately and completely represent the artists and art that we bring into our store. Though moving away from carrying Native art was a conversation that was had, it was ultimately decided that continuing to carry art by Native artists was a great way to engage in mutual aid with our Native neighbors.

We do not take this honor lightly. We feel immense gratitude to be trusted with the responsibility of sharing the history and impact of the Native community on Seattle with those who come to visit and locals alike. We will utilize our privilege of being part of communities who face less systematic oppression than our Native neighbors to educate those who may not listen to someone who doesn’t look like them.

If you have further questions or would like to share something related to the above position, please send us an email to hello@ravensnestseattle.com

It is a continuous learning process to ensure we are doing our due diligence to our friends and neighbors.

Question: Do you have art from the Native folks of Seattle?

Answer: Are you ready for a much longer answer than you were probably anticipating? Well here it is!

We have art from Native artists who live in Seattle. We also have art from folks who are of Coast Salish decent. The Coast Salish peoples incorporates a broad swath of tribes that populate the coast of the Salish Sea from the Olympia area up into British Columbia. The art style of the Coast Salish people is similar across tribes, though the interpretation and lore behind the motifs differ. It’s important to note that the boarder between the US and Canada is an arbitrary line drawn by colonizers.

Now, to address the root of the question - art from the Native folks of Seattle. The original inhabitants of this land are the Duwamish people. Our city is named after one of their late leaders, Chief Si’ahl. Unfortunately, due to imperialist politics, the Duwamish people are not a federally recognized tribe. At the root of it is the fact that if they were recognized, the city of Seattle would rightfully fall under their jurisdiction which bothers those currently in power.

What does this mean for Duwamish artists? This means they cannot claim that they are Native in regard to their art because of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. This act, though in the right spirit, has the unintended consequence of requiring government registration with a federally recognized tribe by a person in order to claim that they are Native and to claim that their art is Native made. There are a multitude of reasons why legitimately Native folks do not want to federally register. Whether it is because they would have to register with a tribe that is not their ancestry, as is the case with Duwamish folks who have been encouraged to register with the Muckleshoot tribe, or they would rather not register their identity with a colonizer government for fear of retribution which, for many, was a real consequence within living memory as is evident through Indian schools and reeducation programs.

Our art is labeled with the artists name and tribal affiliation if they have a tribal card. If someone claims native heritage but is not registered, their art is not labeled with a tribal affiliation, though we do ask that these artists share their story so we can share the nuance of identity with those who have interest in supporting the indigenous community.

This is all to say, no, we do not have any Native art from the Duwamish people simply because they cannot claim that their art is native made, despite their rich history of cultivating and caring for the land we reside on.

Other questions we get not related to the Native art in our store.

Question: Have your items been authenticated and do they come with documentation stating that they are what they are?

Answer: We do our best to find out any and all information relevant to a piece. We are working to get some of our higher priced items appraised for this reason. However, the desire to have art from other parts of the world authenticated by someone in the United States or Europe is rooted in a colonial mindset. To only find value in something because someone from the West sees value in it is something we encourage folks to challenge and think through. A hand-carved piece of jade is beautiful and inspires awe. It does not need a piece of paper to do that.

Question: Do you have elephant ivory?

Answer: Absolutely not. Elephant ivory is illegal to sell or trade per the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Act and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. We work hard to make sure we bring interesting and unique pieces into our store while adhering to the laws and regulations put forward to protect wildlife. To express even interest in this material is to fuel the fire of poaching.

Question: But I saw some things in your shop labeled as Ivory - what’s that about?

Answer: Those items are made from fossilized walrus and mammoth ivory. These animals have been deceased from anywhere between 500 to over 15,000 years, and their ivory has laid in the earth or permafrost for centuries where it gathers its unique coloring from the surrounding environment. Additionally, mammoth ivory has a distinctive cross hatch pattern that differentiates it from elephant ivory.

You may see new walrus ivory for sale in places like Alaska and the northern reaches of Canada. This is because an exception has been made for Native Alaskans and Inuit people to carve ivory from recently deceased walruses in order to honor their cultures and traditions. New walrus ivory can ONLY be sold and carved by Native Alaskans and Inuit peoples and only Native Alaskans and Inuit peoples may purchase those items in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

Question: Why are your items so expensive?

Answer: Many of our items are hand made. This means someone put hours of their time into creating the piece. So labor plus material plus operations of our lovely store all require that we price things a certain way. We make sure to price things fairly and we take into consideration the age of the item, amount of work required to make it, and material used. Many folks do mention how fairly our items are priced.

For other items ie. fossils, rocks, and antiques, we work hard to ensure unique and one of a kind items. The prices of the items reflect that.

We are not here to cheat you or to be a tourist trap. We are here to share the unique items the world has to offer that make this planet such an interesting place to live.