Oct 20 2007
"Indian Jewelry" is a term that brings to mind the silver and turquoise jewelry of the Navajo and Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. Craftspeople from the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo tribes have gained a world-wide reputation for their unique jewelry. In addition to the pieces fashioned by these people, many fine examples of jewelry are also created by members of other Indian tribes. About Indian Jewelry – 100 Years of Evolution
Southwestern Indians have worn jewelry made from pieces of shell, turquoise and other materials for centuries. The jewelry we think of as “Indian” began to evolve about 100 years ago. The Navajo were the first to produce jewelry that required the working of metal. Their love of metal working can be traced to the Spanish arrival in the Southwest. The silver bridles and horse trappings of the conquistadores were admired and often stolen by the raiding Navajos. Later, when the area became part of Mexico, Mexican silversmiths traded jewelry to wealthy Navajo for sheep. Jewelry became a symbol of wealth.
Around 1850, a Navajo Medicine Man, Atsidi Sani, convinced a Mexican blacksmith to teach him the art of working iron. Most scholars agree he was the first Navajo to work with metal and some evidence exists to show that he later became the first Navajo to make silver jewelry. After the Mexican War in 1848, the Southwest became part of the United States. The government, acting to end raids by the Indians, appointed Kit Carson to subdue the rebellious Navajo.
The Navajo Long Walk – Ft. Sumner’s Influence on Jewelry-Making
After a campaign aimed at destroying the Navajo herds and crops, the starving Indians surrendered. In 1864, some 8500 survivors began the “Long Walk” to imprisonment at Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. Many did not survive the tortuous journey. There was a blacksmith shop at Fort Sumner and many Navajos learned the trade. This is where the first crude Indian jewelry, made from copper and brass was fashioned.
The Traders Influence
A peace was signed and the Navajo returned to their homeland in 1868. Traders arrived in the area, brining with them silver coins. It was with these coins that the Navajo began to make silver jewelry. A few traders realized the potential for Navajo Jewelry including “Don Lorenzo” Hubbell. In 1884, two Mexican silversmiths were employed by the Hubbell Trading Post (now a National Monument) to teach Navajos how to solder and work with silver. Between 1884 and 1899, turquoise stones began to appear set in the silver jewelry. This was a natural development due to the Indians long time love for the stone.
Navajo Jewelry
The major characteristic of Navajo jewelry today is the emphasis on metal work. The Navajo jewelry is designed to fit the stones. Stampwork, leaves and feathers fashioned of silver are used to accent turquoise and other stones.
Zuni Jewelry
The Zuni Indians learned to silversmith from the Navajo in the early 1870’s. The Zuni, because they had permanent homes unlike the nomadic Navajo, were able to use many tools that the Navajo could not easily carry with them. With the lapidary wheels they began cutting stones and using the silver to hold their stones in patterns. Today, Zuni silversmiths are known for their lapidary skills. Both channel inlay (using precisely cut stones set on silver to form figures and designs) and cluster and needlepoint (setting small, similarly cut stones in geometric patterns) are traditional Zuni styles.
Hopi Jewelry
The first Hopi silversmiths apparently learned the craft from a Zuni. A regular trade route existed between the two Pueblos. Hopi jewelry is most often made without stones. They use a technique known as overlay. A design is cut out of one sheet of silver and then soldered to another sheet as backing. The depressions create designs which are darkened. The silver is then bent into the form of the piece of jewelry desired, a bracelet for example. The outer layer of the piece is then polished, leaving the design dark. Animals play a large part in the Hopi relibion and animal-like designs and ancient pottery designs are typical themes in Hopi Jewelry.
Santo Domingo Pueblo Jewelry
The Santo Domingo people do little metalworking. For centuries, they have fashioned neclaces of stone, shell and wood. Today, modern equipment has made the working of these same materials a fine art form. Their jewelry is characterized by the making of round beads from turquoise, coral, shell and other materials which are strung together into strands for necklaces and earrings. The most common beads are called heishi (he-she). These are disks or tubes with a hole in the center. They are strung together to form a flexible strand and are often of graduated size. It is not uncommon to find pieces of coral or turquoise nuggets strung with the heishi, or simply strands of polished turquoise nuggets.
Information and above article courtesy: Robert Zachary for the Indian Arts and Crafts Association
