THE MASTER AMERICAN INDIAN CRAFTSMEN

A HINT OF HERITAGE THE LURE AND LORE OF INDIAN JEWELRY

American Indian jewelry has come a long way from the tiny beads of pipestone in prehistoric times to today's hand-rolled beads of opal and lapis lazuli. From etched seashells to engraved gold and silver. From small squares of turquoise glued to shells to intricately designed mosaics. From glycermeris shell bracelets to elegant creations of gold and diamonds. Text continued on page 15 Jewelry (inset) produced by Indian artists like Sonwai (Verma Nequatewa), a Hopi, is thoroughly modern but also strongly rooted in their heritage. Tradition remains a powerful undercurrent in even the most contemporary Southwest Native American jewelry. A stylistic lineage that began with the ancient Hohokam, represented here by the slate bird pendant (top), circa A.D. 700-1100, carries through to (this page) turn-of-the-century pieces and the jewelry of today.

A HINT OF HERITAGE

(ABOVE) This tufa-cast gold and turquoise jewelry was made by Harvey Begay, a Navajo. Courtesy of Faust Gallery, Scottsdale.

(RIGHT) Brightly colored pieces by Sherian Honhongva, a Hopi, use gold, silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, ironwood, fossilized ivory, sugilite, and jet. Courtesy of Lovena Ohl Gallery, Scottsdale.

A HINT OF HERITAGE

(ABOVE, RIGHT) These pieces in gold, opal, turquoise, black jade, sugilite, and lapis lazuli were made by Naveek, a Navajo. Both courtesy of Lovena Ohl Gallery, Scottsdale.

(RIGHT) This work by Don Supplee features cast gold, coral, turquoise, opal, and diamonds. Courtesy of Lovena Ohl Gallery and Waddell Trading Company, Scottsdale.

Continued from page 11 Not until the late 19th century did the American Indians of the Southwest learn to work metal. The Mexican influence dominated styles and designs because the first Navajo blacksmith to learn silversmithing did so from a Mexican friend. The craft spread with no tribal distinction in early jewelry styles as the Zunis learned from the Navajos, the Hopis from the Zunis.

Skills improved through the years, and the Hopis and Zunis eventually created their own unique styles. The Zunis became noted for their fine turquoise settings and mosaic work; the Hopis for the overlay technique that was developed in the 1940s.

Today there is again a strong crossover between tribes, with artists blending a variety of techniques to create contemporary styles.

Tradition has strongly influenced American Indian jewelers because they often learn their crafts from fathers, uncles, or older brothers.

Three jewelers are most often mentioned as the mentors who led the way for a new generation of artists. In the late 1950s, Hopi Charles Loloma, one of the first to use gold in his jewelry, began creating striking pieces that included colorful collages of rare and exotic gemstones. Navajo artist Kenneth Begay, who was noted for the elegance of his sweeping designs, taught many younger artists the intricacies of his craft. An adopted Hopi of Mission Indian and Mexican descent, Preston Monongye created unique tufa-cast pieces that included gold and lapidary designs.

But styles in general changed little until the 1970s when “In-dian” and “jewelry” suddenly became household words. The Wall Street Journal first sug-gested the jewelry as a good investment against inflation, then it was featured in a Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show, and select pieces were added to its merchandise. Even the New York Post and Newsweek re-ported the “discovery” of In-dian jewelry.

However, the January 1974 issue of Arizona Highways, which featured an amazing ar-ray of jewelry on every page, was in large part responsible for the art's “overnight” success. Suddenly, famous models were laden with silver and turquoise for photo shoots; Hollywood stars flaunted concha belts, squash blossom necklaces, rings, and bracelets. And the demand for Indian jewelry es-calated rapidly.There was a decidedly “good news, bad news” aspect to this phenomenon. American Indian artists received much-needed publicity and financial gain, but hundreds of imitators flooded the market with infe-rior pseudo-Indian jewelry. Inexperienced Indian artists also rushed headlong into the jewelry business, all too often producing poor hastily made pieces. However, many new sil-versmiths became excellent craftsmen, and others, who had been working for years, con-tinued to improve their skills and began creating new styles in order to outdo and outlast the competition.

By the 1980s, the mad clamor of the “Silver and Turquoise Rush” was over, but a national and international clientele was now interested in quality rather than quantity. The thundering herd of poor and pseudo-craftsmen soon fell by the wayside. Most of the jewelers who remained at the workbench were good craftsmen, and many were exceptional artisans who continued to improve their skills and to become increasingly innovative. Today there are literally hundreds of excellent artists who produce both traditional and contemporary styles.

Over the years, museums and Indian markets throughout the Southwest have encouraged excellent craftsmanship and creativity in Indian jewelry. The prize monies and the distinction of winning competitions motivate artists to produce works of the highest quality, and the exhibitions provide a public platform for their art.

Phoenix's prestigious Heard Museum, in particular, is noted for its presentation of Indian cultures and the promotion of their art.

The longtime manager of the

A HINT OF HERITAGE

Heard Museum Shop, the late Lovena Ohl, had a great impact on American Indian art. When she opened her own Scottsdale gallery in 1978, she was not content merely to sell the artists' work but concentrated on furthering the development of contemporary Indian art, particularly jewelry. She supported growth and change and encouraged jewelers to experiment with new materials and innovative designs while retaining traditional symbolism. Furthermore, she established a fund to assist select artists in expanding their careers. The Lovena Ohl Foundation, now administered by Lovena's grandnephew and protege, Bill Faust, continues to benefit numerous promising artists. Some artists are subsidized so they can concentrate solely on their art, others attend universities to complete their education, and some travel to foreign countries on various projects.

The artists under Lovena's patronage became her extended family. She was always there for them. She encouraged their cre-ative energies, advised them on the importance of exemplary character, praised their accomp-lishments, reproved them with love when they erred, rejoiced with them on joyous occasions, shared tears in times of sorrow. And the artists, many of whom considered her their grand-mother, repaid their debts by justifying her faith in them.

The Lovena Ohl Artist Studio and Exhibition Gallery was scheduled to be dedicated this month in memory of this grande dame of American Indian art as part of The Heard Museum's multimillion dollar expansion. The work of vari-ous artists who were influenced by Lovena will be shown in this gallery, and the studio will be used by artists-in-residence. "Jewels of the Southwest" will be the opening exhibit at this new facility and will include the work of many of the contemporary jewelers featured in these pages.

Today's master jewelers are incredible craftsmen who commonly blend a variety of techniques in creating their works of art; however, it is their talent for design that makes their work exception-al. Their jewelry combines gold and silver, elegance and intricacy, and almost any pre-cious, semiprecious, or exotic stone one can imagine: tur-quoise of various types, dia-monds, lapis lazuli, coral, rubies, jet, malachite, sugilite, emeralds, abalone, fossilized ivory, opals, spiny oyster shell, charoite, and chrysoprase.

Yes, American Indian jew-elry has come a long way, but some things have not changed. Today's master jewelers are in-spired by their culture, their homeland, ritual, spirituality, and nature. Although their work is contemporary, it is steeped in ancient tradition. There is usually a hint of her-itage in each one-of-a-kind piece, and designs often speak of lore and legend unique to each artist's tribe.

Different tribes, ages, and life-styles are represented by the featured artists; some live in urban areas, some on their reservation homelands. Yet there is one thing they have in common: These artists will be the ones to influence coming generations of American Indian jewelers.

Editor's Note: "Jewels of the Southwest," an exhibit featuring contemporary Indian jewelry, will open in The Heard Museum's new Lovena Ohl Gallery February 28, 1999, and run through June 1999. A series of public events celebrating the grand opening of the museum's three new changing exhibit galleries begins in late February and extends through the annual Indian Fair, March (ABOVE, LEFT) A gold bracelet set with diamonds, pink coral, red coral, lapis lazuli, and sugilite was made by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Northern Cheyenne.

(ABOVE) Watson Honanie, a Hopi, created this gold-over-silver overlay jewelry.

6-7. Lovena Ohl will be honored March 4, when the gallery named for her is formally dedicated. For more information, call The Heard, (602) 252-8840.