Wa-nu-ken traditional arts is a family operation
founded in 1990 by Michael Galban and Tonia Loran. The name Wa-nu-ken
is an acronym representing the Washoe, Paiute, and Mohawk people.
Michael is Washoe/Paiute and Tonia is Keniekehake or Mohawk. The
business and the family are both growing and now there are three
additions, Kionkwathatha, Rotsirohawi, and Tsioianiio. Wa-nu-ken is dedicated to preserving the cultural traditions of the Washoe, Paiute, and Mohawk people. As a family of performer/educators we have traveled to all the corners of Turtle Island teaching and performing to audiences of all ages.
Michael and Tonia have 20 years of experience as Native American Educators. We are storytellers, singers, dancers, and craftspeople.
Michael is Washoe/Paiute and has been interested in Native
American material culture his entire life. He began craftwork at age 9
when his mother showed him how to make moccasins. After graduating
from S.U.N.Y. Geneseo with a Bachelor of Fine Arts he began work
at Ganondagan State Historic Site as an interpretive guide. In
the 10 years past he has been dedicated to preserving and in
many cases reviving the traditional arts of the woodland region.
He has excelled in the art of quillwork, moosehair embroidery,
ash splint basketry, bark house building, elm bark basketry, natural
cordage manufacture, basswood tumplines and ropes, dogbane prisoner
ties, Paiute sling braiding, maple ball headed war clubs, gunstock
clubs, basswood fiber bags, pack frames, lacrosse sticks, snow
snakes, water drums, rawhide drums, wooden effigy spoons, woodland
style bowls, noggins, horn/gourd/turtle/bark/rawhide rattles,
flintknapping, arrow-making, rivercane blowguns, bone whistles,
antler combs, Paiute bullroarers, tule and cattail reed duck decoys,
twined cornhusk bottles, twined cornhusk mats, cornhusk dolls,
Paiute leather dolls, cattail mats, friction fire building, stone
pipemaking, beadwork, historical costuming, and contemporary pow-wow
clothing and regalia. 
Tonia
is Mohawk from Akwesasne and is from the bear clan. She has worked
at Ganondagan as an interpreter for over 10 years. Her work is
focused on the performing arts like storytelling and dance as
well as the material arts. She has gathered dozens of stories
collected from family members, elders, and friends. She has told
her beautiful stories to people all across the US. Tonia is an
accomplished beadworker with pieces shown in national art shows
as well as adorning the Native clothing of her friends and family.
She learned early on the steps to making ash splint baskets by
her Grandmother on the Akwesasne Reservation. Picking sweetgrass
and weaving were skills that came back to her as an adult. Tonia's
baskets are mainly utilitarian in form. She makes traditional
cornwashing baskets, berry-picking baskets, large "laundry"
baskets, cornpicking baskets, wedding or feast baskets, and corn
flour sieves. She has done much research on historical basketry
and regularly makes trips to museums, to study the forms and techniques
of baskets in their collections.