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Chuck Hagen and Native Arts
Chuck Hagen
by Kitty Wheeler
Coastal Journal contributor
WOOLWICH - April 1989 heralded the opening of the Native American store on Route 1, just south of Montsweag Road. Chuck Hagen whose grandmother was part Schaticook Indian from Kent, Connecticut, had become fascinated with Indian objects that he bought in his travels Down East. Friends commented on how they liked these objects and could Hagen buy one for them. One purchase led to another, and as Hagen immersed himself in Native American culture and rediscovered his family roots, he decided to open a shop that would sell only authentic Indian crafts.
The building on Route 1 had housed several different companies. Hagen was able to rent it in 1989 from a former owner (he purchased the site in 2003), and he immediately fashioned a teepee outside on a platform as the symbol of his art. With solar power and aid of some batteries, the teepee and his road sign are lit at night as an advertisement for his shop.
The U.S. Navy brought Hagen to Brunswick in 1978. One of his assignments there was working with the Maine Indian program, and he drove a writer who was researching information on the Wabanaki Indians around the state. He loved Maine and decided to move here after his BNAS stint, married and had two children.
When asked to describe his background, Hagen states he is an original American. “My family was here from the beginning.” As he delved into the Maine Indian culture, he began to develop connections with Southwest Indians, then indigenous Mexicans, Columbians and Canadians. Through this on-going network of Indians and Hagen's purchases of their hand-made items, the objects in the Native American store tell a story of the First People and showcase their talents.
As a member of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, Hagen only owns and sells authentic articles and artifacts. They remind him of the outside world of nature, and each object seems to be a true art form. Customers rushed in when the store opened, and through word of mouth, more clients have come. And repeat customers are fodder for his sales. His business attracts people from all over the country as well as from Japan, Italy, and Germany. When different languages converge, sign language or, if necessary, an interpreter is used.
Hagen had hoped that a website would be helpful in marketing his wares, but it does not allow easy purchasing of items. The website is nativeartsonline.com, and it does give a toll free number as well as the local 442-8399 number. The store's email is
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A brief attempt to use eBay effectively didn't work, so the hands-on approach is what brings customers to the Native Arts store.
The store is open daily from 10 to 5, and Hagen finds the summer months through Christmas holidays are his busiest times. His wares range from jewelry to Kachina dolls, birch bark hangings, baskets, Indian books, pottery and some sculpture. He finds that he mails a lot of items to his clients. His reputation for selling only authentic native crafts and not misrepresenting these art pieces has established him as a Native Arts' connoisseur. An insurance company in Boston often calls him for an evaluation price of a native piece.
The arts and crafts fill up the entire space of the shop; yet it is not crowded. Jewelry, especially made by the Indians in the Southwest, is one his more popular items. Silver and turquoise are particularly appealing, and The Four Corners in the West produces some of the best. Prices for bracelets range from $25.00 to $2500.00. The smallest silver bracelets are ideal for young girls.
Kachina dolls have always held attraction for buyers. The Navajo dolls always have feathers as part of their costume; the Hopi dolls can be made of one piece of carved wood or leather faces with embroidered clothes. These dolls claim prices from $85.00 to over $500.00. Alaskan Indians often work in baleen and other pieces of a whale. One small polar bear, no more than an inch long, commands $375.00.
Russian indigenous peoples who live in the Baltic Sea region work with amber. There are long necklace strands of the yellow stone that are priced at $100; amber earrings and bracelets are also popular.
Maine Indian baskets always draw a crowd. Clara Keezer, a Passamaqoddy who had an exhibit at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland several years ago, highlights nature in her reed work. She has woven fruit and small baskets. One of her piece de resistance works is a snowman that is actually made up by five baskets: his head, face and main body parts. The black buttons come from Keezer's old button box, and his large candy cane, hanging from his arm, is a twisted, painted birch bark. $495.00 is the asking price. Hagen asks Keezer and other artists to sign their works and note the date. These personal touches add authenticity to an art object.
Hand made instruments are important artifacts, too. Hagen and his son give drum-making lessons that stress the four directions in nature. Elk skin is pulled over branches, and its sinews hold the drum together on the backside. Flutes made from one piece of wood are also popular. Hawk Henries, a Nipmuck, is a well-known Indian flautist, and Hagen sells CDs with his music.
Appliquéd birch bark wall hangings are also displayed in the shop. Ssipsis, a Penobscot Indian, has made a lovely piece, Birth of a Nation. It is one-of-a-kind with forms of Indians, moose, and sunrises drawn on the birch bark. That hanging commands a price of $2600.00. Necklaces or pendants made from artifacts found in the earth hang on animal sinews. Books on Indians, dream catchers, Indian Christmas ornaments and a few beaded pieces are also available.
Clearly Chuck Hagen has assembled a wealth of Indian art in his store. Customers or passers-by may immerse themselves in the First People's artistic world for hours. And with a purchase or two, these individuals can share the Native American crafts with others. To show his devotion to his family roots, Hagen wears a unique three-piece pendant around his neck. Each piece conveys one aspect of the Indian world. He is proud of his Schaticook Indian heritage.
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