Homage to the Hopi Corn Maiden

The days of the Hopi corn farmers running 10 miles from their high mesa top pueblo homes to tend their cornfields are long gone, but they still utilize centuries-old techniques for nurturing corn seed into a treasured and often bountiful crop on their bitterly dry and harsh reservation homeland. Their horticulture technique starts with finding areas of the valley floor prone to flooding, planting multiple seeds in widely spaced holes at a depth of about one foot so the roots (that may grow down as much as 20 feet) can absorb moisture from the sandy subsoil. The green plants then come up in communal clumps that have a better chance of resisting the harsh dry, high desert winds. Chances for a successful harvest is further enhanced by seed planting at differing times in a variety of locations. A successful Hopi cornfield is a triumphant sight and looks so different than the nearly impenetrable cornfields that dominate so much of the landscape in America's Midwest. I found the beautiful barrette shown above on my recent buying trip to Hopiland. I was hesitant to make the purchase when I saw it was marked $295, but given what it represented and that it was a product of Hopi master silversmith Berra Tawahongva, I could not pass. The barrette shows a corn maiden tending to a single corn stock. The hand on the right represents the medicine she is giving to the corn and the two crescents facing each other within the hand represent friendship. It is a beautiful piece showing a heritage of survival that should never be forgotten.

From the Indian Jewelry Hall of Fame

The August 1974 edition of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS featured an article representing a special collection of Indian jewelry called The Arizona Highways Hall of Fame Classics. Three masterworks of Dennis Edaakie were shown and he was hailed as a Grand Master of his medium. In 1975 in Vol I of ZUNI, The Art and The People, Ed and Barbara Bell wrote "Dennis and Nancy (Edaakie), without a doubt, two of the best known silversmiths in Zuni, are all the more remarkable because they have been practicing their art for the relatively short time of 10 years. Their beautiful inlay work may be seen in most of the finer collections of Indian jewelry. When found in the finer collections of Indian jewelry, it is usually marked 'Not for Sale.' " Sadly, Nancy Edaakie was not given even a footnote's worth of credit in the ARIZONA HIGHWAYS article. I featured the Edaakie's in a brief blog entry a couple of months ago, see Birdman and Ladybird of Zuni.

What impresses me about the "Hall of Fame Jewelry" masters is that their work is so reasonably priced. Once a noted jewelry artist stops producing, their work tends to skyrocket in value, but even long lived artists often find their early works very highly valued as vintage pieces. Regardless of how much longer Dennis and Nancy remain productive, their work will live on through their well trained children.

A few weeks ago, I placed a special order with the Edakkies for a Trout Bolo tie. I'm still patiently waiting.

The Humor of Clarence & Russell Lee

The Navajo psyche characteristically resonates with good humor, but it is rare for it to be expressed in their jewelry. I was most impressed and amused this past summer when I ran across the Lee's distinctive booth at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. Unfortunately, I was out of inventory money that day, but I left determined to follow-up in the months ahead. Clarence and Russell are a father-son team who travel the country selling their work throughout the nation, mostly at art shows. They are widely represented in museums and their award list now numbers 8 full pages. Last week I sat with Russell and his Lady at my kitchen table and poured over their wide selection of jewelry. Russell said to me, "Jewelry making is all we do. During the day we make jewelry. At night we dream jewelry." Note the goat which is modeled after a pet that once roamed their reservation property eating indiscriminately, everything from a stuffed teddy bear to a can of beans. The Russell's great smithing skill is evident in all their work. Even though the Lee's live within an hour's drive of Gallup, they don't sell to the dealers here. Ah, but now Wilford's is the exception. I am honored to promote the Lee's unique brand of story and humor laced in phenomenally well crafted silver.

Crotalus viridis nuntius

This spectacular sterling silver overlay Hopi rattlesnake ring was made by Berra Tawahongva from the Coyote Clan village of Mishongnovi. It held me fixed in fascination when I first saw it on one of my winter Hopi buying trips. My first thought was that it was a perfect fit for a HOG who freely boasts of his affiliation with an outlaw bikers group. You know the kind of husky, beer-bellied man who sports his leather clad trophy woman around on a fierce looking hard-tail chopper; the kind of biker who likes little better than to conclude his riding day by strutting in loud, proud, and pushy to the nearest beer joint for a triple-meat green chili cheeseburger and never less than 16 ounces of Coors on tap. So much for my imagination, I've discovered that this fine serpent creation has almost universal appeal even to those of delicate sensibilities. Several women have expressed disappointment that this ring was forged in a man's size (11.5). It would be interesting to know it's history many generation from now. There is no question that it should eventually find a home in museum display.

note: the skeleton Kachina symbol in the upper left hand corner is Berra's distinctive hallmark.

Parrot by Little Known Artist

I regularly receive email communications from folks telling me how much they enjoy going through my Ebay store and this blog. A few go on to tell me they would love to buy but cannot afford pieces from what has been my showcase tilted toward the higher end, brand named items like those of the late great Navajo silversmith Harry Morgan and the Zuni master Don Dewa. So in recent weeks I've been concentrating on finding works of excellence that fall within a more affordable range and that means leaving the famous names behind for awhile. The parrot pin/pendant represented here is by a little known Zuni artist. I had never heard or seen his name prior to picking up his excellent creation and reading his name inscribed on the back. My search for information on him yielded nothing. The wholesaler who I originally bought the parrot from him told me his first name was "Kordell." Many buyers on lower end items don't even bother with asking an artisan's name or checking to see if the piece is signed. Kendell Shebola is obviously an accomplished artist. One of the first things I note (which is common to all good Zuni work) is the tightness of fit of the stones. Zuni jewelry is made with sterling silver which is very much of secondary importance unlike that seen in Hopi work where the artistry comes alive in the exquisite pure sterling silver creations. The beauty of Zuni art emerges through the use of stones and shells complimented or merely held in place by a sterling silver base. In some pieces the silver is even invisible in the dominant front view in which case the final product with its meticulously cut, almost invisible stone boundaries may look like a champleve' product (jewelry finished by a smooth enameling surface process. Zuni artisan Harlan Coonsis often produces champleve' looking stone jewelry. The parrot above has tiny silver strips separating the stone which include mother of pearl, jet, pink mussel, abalone, and turquoise. At this point I know Master Kendell only through this one piece of art, but his name has gone into my little book and I'll be inquiring about him and his work as I merily go about my jewelry study, exploration, and acquisiton.

Hummingbirds by Ella Gia

I am committed to promoting our local Native American artists, big names and small, so I was very happy when I ran across the pictured hummingbird bracelet by Ella Gia a few days ago at one of my favorite wholesale dealers who works the middle to the lower end of the market. I was impressed that her very worthy work was marked at such a low price especially given that her inlay, in my judgement is equivalent in quality to that of the big names such as the Edaakie and Lanconsellos of Zuni. Sadly enough, the dealer even gave me the wrong name of the artist when he sold me the work. Fortunately, I could read her engraved signature without difficulty so I began my usual research. She is in none of the most commonly cited reference works which I keep at hand. A Google search led me to one web reference only which also included her jewelry making daughter, Lenora. The two lines on Ms. Gia read, "Ella is an excellent maker of inlaid jewelry! She like many Zuni crafts people, has another job. She works at the Zuni Head Start during the day, while following the making of jewelry at night." Her story is so familiar; nearly all of the independent Native American jewelry artists need to have a primary job as their mainstay of making a living. Now that the cost of silver is again skyrocketing, the cost of buying supplies and selling in a very competitive market which includes cheap "Native American Style" jewelry from foreign sources is constantly eroding incentives to continue the good work.

Now that Ella Gia has entered my blog and I've put her bracelet on EBay, she will have at least 3 Google hits by tomorrow. I love her work, and I'll certainly be on the search for more.

Zuni Mudhead Jewelry

Beverly Etsate is a three dimensional raised inlay specialist. She like her famed mother Rosalie Pinto portrays Zuni mudhead kachinas by inlaying them stone upon stone. In the example here you see an Acoma jet background set in sterling silver with skillfully set cuttings of jet, coral, mother of pearl, and turquoise set in a pattern to reveal a delightful clown kachina. Bev's mudheads are the same as her Mother's, but much of her Mother's work is now vintage and as such commands much higher prices. Any serious Zuni collector should have at least one of these works.

The Million Dollar Buckle

This buckle is another triumphant design of Calvin Begay. I saw the inception sketch months ago then I had to wait patiently to get the final product in my hands. Calvin initially conceived this buckle as a solitary horse head surrounded by gemstones, but he changed his mind when it was suggested that a wide angle view showing a running horse would be dazzling. So following a familiar formula first used by John Ford which put Monument Valley--the most famous of all Navajo scenic vistas--on the movie map and made John Wayne a movie star in Stagecoach (1939), Calvin crafted a Monument Valley representation incorporating the two stately Mitten rock formations as his background. This buckle is individually produced and makes a fabulous collector piece. The rim gemstones include sleeping beauty turquoise, spiny oyster, sugilite, Chinese spiderweb turquoise, Acoma jet, mojave green, mother-of-pearl, and lapis separated by tiny slivers of sterling silver. Okay, maybe it's fair market value is a mere $750, but anyone lucky enough to dress up with it should feel worth at least a million.

The Hearts of Rick Tolino

I came to appreciate Rick Tolino as one of the great contemporary Navajo silversmiths by examining his art first hand, but his discovery as a highly talented jewelry designer was made years ago. His work has won him an abundance of awards, and his lovely jewely has been widely represented in numerous publications such as Arizona Highways, Cowboys and Indians magazine, and Theda Bassman’s exceptionally well illustrated book, The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry. I hope to interview Rick personally in the coming months for my fact file on him is rather barren. I do know that he was born into the great American Southwest here in Gallup in 1961 and he grew up a few miles away on the reservation in Coyote Canyon. He began his work as a silversmith in high school. Rick’s work covers the usual array of jewelry adornments: belt buckles, bracelets, pins, rings, and pendants. Hopefully, I’ll have much more say after meeting him in person a few moons from now.

Doris' Kachinas

Doris Smallcanyon (Navajo) is a master silversmith. She is both prolific and elusive, not a bad combination. She specializes in making these enormously popular kachinas in multiple sizes for use as bolo ties, rings, pins, and pendants. She also produces beautiful squash blossom necklaces. She even does a kachina necklace in the squash blossom style. I buy her work from two different wholesalers here in Gallup. Her work is surprisingly affordable especially given the beautiful craftsmanship and striking visual appeal of her kachinas. She signs her pieces with either her distinctive hallmark or a hand engraved signature. There is precious little information about her in the public domain.

Made in Heaven?

As I was listing this masterwork of silver by Berra Tawahongva, I was struck with the precision & beauty and thought it made an excellent example of quality that you might expect to find only in heaven. We can be fairly certain it's not from heaven for there silver probably doesn't rate as a precious metal as it does here on Earth. Still this precisely made work of art should satify the most discriminating of upper crust consumers. The central image is that of a Sunface, on the left is a Kokopelli musician, and on the right a corn plant which has been so important to the survival the Hopi's. One reason this buckle pops in such an artistic way is the contrast of the shinny sterling silver surface against the textured silver areas. One of the Hopi traders told me is a comparatively new innovation in Hopi silversmithing. Berra Tawahongva learned his silversmithing at the Hopi Guild which has been responsible for training so many master craftsman. His hallmark is the symbol for Masau'u (Skeleton Kachina), the only kachina who does not go home at the Niman Ceremony and thus may dance at any time of the year. Because he is a Death Kachina, he may do many things by opposites, for the world of the Dead is the reverse of this world. For instance, he comes down a ladder backward or performs other actions in reverse. As I often say, I can't wait to get back to Hopi on another shopping trip. As soon as Sandy gets home, I'm taking her for fried chicken then a 4 wheel-drive trip out onto the snow saturated, muddy reservation in search of Navajo Clarence Lee whose work I hope to soon feature on this blog. Little did I know a few months ago that dealing in Native American jewelry would be this much fun.

Effie's Serpents

The name Effie is recognized the world over by Native American jewelry aficionados. So much so that her last name Calavaza need not be uttered. My friend Sammy the owner of Desert Indian Traders here in Gallup says, "If you don't sell Effie's jewelry, you are not in the Native American jewelry business." Effie was born into the Zuni tribe in 1928. She learned silversmithing from her husband Juan Zuni in 1956. She has been producing prolifically ever since. Snake dieties are central to the designs found on her work. The snake in Zuni culture is symbolic of defiance that gained renew significance with westward expansion and subsequent broken treaties in the 19th century which resulted in forced tribal relocations and thousands of deaths. The Zuni tribe successfully hid from the U.S. Army atop what's now called Zuni Mountain. Effie gained widespread recognition for her vigorous defense of her creation which lead her all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to obtain the rights to her snake symbol which was being widely copied and coming back into the markets here via imports. Effie has taught her daughters silversmithing so we can be assured that her special brand of Zuni jewelry will go on for the forseeable future. Effie's work is rough cut, old style. I am somewhat surprised that it is in such high demand everywhere. It must be the allure of the her Serpents as seen on the belt buckle here.

Roger Skeets, Jr.

I have run across Navajo Roger Skeet's work on numerous occasions, mostly concho belts of all sizes and ketohs (bow guards). His work is traditional old style. In reviewing glimpses of Mr. Skeet's story as revealed by Mark Bahti in his book Silver + Stone - Profiles of American Indian Jewelers, I was struck by Mr. Skeet's statement, "I would like to have gone to school and served my poeple on the tribal council." Born in 1933, he was the oldest of eight children. His Father chose him to stay at home to work while the other kids were sent to school. Roger's apprenticeship as a silversmith began at the age of 8. He is now in his eighth decade and scaling back. The bold concho buckle here is 4 x 4.5 inches and weighs almost 1/4 lb. This is the first adapation of a concho I've seen used as belt buckle. I think it is a clever idea and I believe it has as much appeal as a hard-won rodeo buckle.

There are No Mansions in Hopi Land

Life has always been a survival stuggle for the Hopi people. The Hopi Tribe’s reservation land base is located in the northeastern section of Arizona with a total area of approximately 1,622,511 acres bounded on all sides by the Navajo Reservation. This land area is distinctive for Hopi villages that sit atop 600 ft high espcarpments and for the visually striking fact that the land is so inhospitable. In years of the not-so-distant past men had to walk 10 miles each day to tend to their little patchs of squaw corn while the women struggled to negoatiate the steep cliffs with jars of water on their heads. Years ago when I first visited the Hopi's, I was amazed to see the sparcity of the corn plants in their fields. There are obviously no mansions on Hopi, the depressed economy of these noble natives are evident everywhere; nonetheless, their artistry whether it be baskets, Katsina (Kachina) carvings, pottery, or jewelry is all done with world-class precision. Several of the Hopi traders and jewelers themselves told me that production of jewelry is way down; in large part, due to the escalating cost of silver. I have been very impressed with the vital role of the Hopi Cultural Center in training the Hopi people to produce precision jewelry. I was saddened to see their big roadway sign in disrepair, but what really pained me was reading the notice* posted on the entry door.

I am really proud to be in the business of the promoting the Hopi jewelry artisans. Sandy and I bought generously this weekend. We spent two days there and finally had a trecherous trip home in a blizzard. I took a wild spin off the road near the summit of a peak near Window Rock, Arizona were we remained trapped in the snow for about an hour until a Navajo policeman and a kindly Navajo family joined forces to rescue us and send us on our way back to Gallup. The 5 buckles pictured are a few of the artistic treasures we brought back from Hopi today.

*click on image for enlargement, if that doesn't work the most relevant detail reads:

WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING UNUSUAL HARDSHIP

**NO CASH FLOW**

Clayton Tom is Back & Working with Calvin Once Again

Calvin Begay and Clayton Tom make a powerfully creative jewel duo. They are both tops in their repective fields, Calvin as silversmith and Clayon as a micro-inlayer. I posted a piece on my 11/09/07 blog entry stating that the team had split, but they are back under the same roof once again and working together on unique pieces such as the one shown here. Calvin did the silver work all by hand. It appears to be a cast piece, but in fact, it was done by silver overlay. Calvin demonstrated to me on Friday his technique for cutting out the silver. Calvin is soft spoken, but I still heard him fairly well over the din of his county western music. Calvin's a real cowboy, I note that he wears a good size rodeo buckle. Clayton works in a backroom where he grinds away at the tiny pieces of stones on his wheel to get them to fit into their tiny alloted spaces in the silver. I asked him about his design on this piece whereupon he pulled down a shred of ratty, corrigated cardbord from above his work station and showed me the inception drawing. From the conversation, I can be certain he is a very traditional Navajo. He said he are not supposed to do Yei-be-Chai image work in the winter, but he does. He went on to describe the physical consequences of violating this taboo. I was glad to hear that said consequences weighed in on the minor ailment scale. He told me much more, but between the grinding wheel and the loud rock music, I did not hear much of what he had to say.