About the Artist

My name is Porfidia. I am an artist and healer. Over the years I have learned they are one in the same. I am both a sustainable-business owner and school counselor. At my core, both of these things are driven by an urge to heal our planet through a return to Indigenous systems (communal living, food sovereignty, star knowledge, naturopathic remedies, sustainable living).

I am a descendant of the Pueblo of Picuris and other Puebloan tribes of the Taos New Mexico and Colorado areas.  I had the beautiful experience of being raised by two extraordinarily different parents. Both parents showed me that becoming one with nature was essential to finding peace and rejuvenation.  My father was powerful, brilliant, supportive and taught me the importance of advocacy, education, tenacity and changing systems from within. My mother is an empath and healer who taught me how to heal with local plants and how to use and trust my intuition. 

The dichotomy found between my parents is magnified within me.  I am eternally torn between keeping my own peace and fanning the flame in my heart to fight for equity and the planet. I have had to learn from my ancestor’s struggles and heal myself.  I have had to understand my family’s behaviors and begin to shift our interactions.  I have had to forgive on behalf of my ancestors. Through the lessons from my parents, my practice is to help those around me remember their magic and innate ability to heal themselves.

My business (Modern Ancient Design) continues to heal me by allowing space for peace in creation and fighting for what is best for our planet. I am uncompromising in my use of sustainable, reclaimed and repurposed items. I hand select the materials used for each piece of jewelry, building upon the peace derived from nature and infusing my own Earth-centered energy into my creations. M.A.D. also offers me great joy through giving a portion of profits to Earth Guardians as they fight on a more global scale to heal the Earth. Join them by donating here. I share with my patrons my inspiration for each piece of jewelry and apparel: lessons from my ancestors, connection to nature, and fighting for justice.

Land Acknowledgment:

The Ute (who self-identify as Nuche) were the original inhabitants of the Leadville area.  No migration story is known and all evidence points to they always were and is backed by forensic evidence suggesting their presence for at least 10,000 years. Ute were peaceful nomadic hunters and gatherers sustained by fish, deer, elk, berries, piñon nuts and yarrow root. (Protection of their land brought rise to the Ute as warriors aided by the earlier acquisition of horses from the Spanish).  They followed game as they migrated up and down the terrain.

Around 1860 their way of life began to change when gold and subsequently silver was discovered in Leadville. The Ute Treaty of 1868, was meant to allow Ute to receive protection, food and reservation land in exchange for their current land. This treaty was quickly unfulfilled and led to starvation.  In reaction the Ute uprising of 1879 gave the necessary justification to push for the total removal of Ute from their land. In 1881, the U.S. Army mobilized in Colorado and enforced the relocation as stipulated in the 1880 Ute Removal Act ratified by congress. 

Today the Ute continue their traditions, maintain their language and culture upon designated lands.  Balance, nature, and protection continue to be at the forefront of their existence.  They express their own story best here.