About Us

Crazyhead Springs, Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Lame Deer, Montana.
Crazyhead Springs, Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Lame Deer, Montana.

About the Owner.  Digital Pines Market is owned and operated by me, Sonja Spang Ray, and it was created to showcase and share handmade Native American beadwork with the rest of the world.  I am an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Lame Deer, Montana.  I have a bachelor of science degree in Business and Information Systems from Montana State University-Billings, but, art has always had a special place in my heart and in my family.    With this website I get to do two things I absolutely love: web design and art.  I want to show others that it is possible to market your art on your own terms using the Internet.  If I can do this so can you.

About the Company.  The name Digital Pines Market signifies the current version of an ancient and unique form of communication used by Native Americans in the past. Tribes were broken down into bands that roamed the plains following the buffalo and harvesting plants for winter. On a hill that could be seen for miles in any direction they cleared brush and cut all trees but three that were spaced an equal distance apart. They then cut the branches halfway down to the base of the tree. When one spotted such a communication center, they climbed the hill and found a pile of rocks arranged in such a way that one could tell which Band had been there, where they could be found, if they needed help, whether they were being pursued, etc. Ancient email.  Today Native Americans use the Internet to communicate with each other through such diverse forms as social media, podcasts, videos, email, and websites. Imagine the Internet as the pine tree, a digital pine, and the rocks are the website, podcast, email, or social media platform carrying the message to be delivered.  Today we can reach a wider audience much more quickly using the Internet.

Digital Pines Market is dedicated to helping promote entrepreneurship through eCommerce in the Native American community.