I owe a debt of gratitude to Ed and Barabara Bell for their work in producing these three historic volumes that show the masterful artisans of Zuni as they were more than 30 years ago. The first volume was published in 1975 the next two in successive years. The Bells dedicated volume 1 to "the people of Zuni to show our apprecation of their gracious human qualities and the beauty of their workmanship." These books can rarely be found on the used market, but most Native American jewelry stores in Gallup have them readily available for quick reference. Many a Zuni jewelry offering is considered to be enhanced if the craftsman is "in the book." In most cases the jewelry makers in these volumes, often both husband and wife of a team, are shown in portrait and their skill mainfestly revealed by well done color photographs of representative samples of their creations. Famous surnames represented include Bowekaty, Cellicion, Gasper, Haloo, Kallesteqa, Natachu, Quam, Weebothee, Zunie, Pinto, Waatsa, Leekity, Bowannie, Panteah, Lonjose, Calavaza, and many more.Saturday, April 24, 2010
Zuni Master Jewelry Artisans of '75, '76, and 1977
I owe a debt of gratitude to Ed and Barabara Bell for their work in producing these three historic volumes that show the masterful artisans of Zuni as they were more than 30 years ago. The first volume was published in 1975 the next two in successive years. The Bells dedicated volume 1 to "the people of Zuni to show our apprecation of their gracious human qualities and the beauty of their workmanship." These books can rarely be found on the used market, but most Native American jewelry stores in Gallup have them readily available for quick reference. Many a Zuni jewelry offering is considered to be enhanced if the craftsman is "in the book." In most cases the jewelry makers in these volumes, often both husband and wife of a team, are shown in portrait and their skill mainfestly revealed by well done color photographs of representative samples of their creations. Famous surnames represented include Bowekaty, Cellicion, Gasper, Haloo, Kallesteqa, Natachu, Quam, Weebothee, Zunie, Pinto, Waatsa, Leekity, Bowannie, Panteah, Lonjose, Calavaza, and many more.
