Native american spiritual jewelry
Native american spiritual jewelry
Through many millennia man contemplated his origin. The rain falling from the sky, the plants growing from the ground and the animals grazing all around - where did they come from? To answer these questions, man sought to connect the tangible with the intangible - or the physical with the spiritual. Many civilizations, including Native Americans, crafted jewelry to symbolize this connection. Jewelry is valued in as many ways as it is defined. A more modern view of jewelry is an adornment typically made of precious metals and gemstones. Jewelry is often viewed as a status symbol or as a sign of wealth. It can also serve notice of a certain affiliation such as a tribal attachment, a sign of marital status, or an indication of one’s religious beliefs. Jewelry can also have more practical purposes such as pins or buckles. Native Americans attached many uses and meanings to their Native American spiritual jewelry. They wore jewelry as decoration and as protection. They used jewelry to trade for items they needed. They also crafted jewelry to tell stories, to bear witness to their lives and histories, and to serve as an illustration of their spiritual beliefs. Native American jewelry typically falls into one of two categories - metalwork or beadwork. Native American metalwork was rudimentary consisting of hammered and etched copper. However, following the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans learned the art of silversmithing greatly enhancing their metalwork. Native Americans excelled in the art of beadwork for hundreds of years. Utilizing turquoise, shell, coral, wood and bone they created and then stitched together thousands of beads to make intricate patterns. While there is no one religion among Native Americans, each tribe entertains long-held beliefs about life and nature and the harmonious existence between the two. These beliefs are often brought to bear in the jewelry they create. For example, Native Americans often embrace ideas such as sacred locations and foods. Life is understood through the connection of contrasts such as earth and sky and water and fire. Additionally, attributes of animals are linked to those of people and nature. So in connecting beliefs with symbols Native American spiritual jewelry is created. For instance, the use of turquoise, thought to be a piece of the sky, was believed by the Navajo to bring good fortune and appease the Wind Spirit. Lizards, known for their ability to survive in the desert, was an animal design often used in Native American spiritual jewelry to signify survival. Colors were also integrated into symbolic illustrations of spiritual beliefs. Blue was the color of water and sky, brown was the color of earth, green was the color of grass and spring, and red was the color of fire. By combining symbolic colors, animal patterns, and gems and beads to create a piece of jewelry, the tangible art links us to the spiritual belief.
