Hopi Girl. AZ

Historic photograph of a Hopi girl in Arizona.

Masani. My matriarch.

Venaya and her maternal grandmother, Jane Werito Yazzie.

The pure blessing of my Dine' elders is medicine for my soul and my life. I spent the day last Saturday
with my grandmother in Durango, Colorado. Here you can see her in her INDIGENOUS ADORNMENT as she is always wearing her turquoise.

Dine' prayer.Blessing

Prayer in the Dine' language is a blessing, blessing, blessing, blessing
all around.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R3C9xN5teU

Coral.

Coral necklace.
Photograph by Venaya Yazzie 2013

This Navajo-made necklace was made by my grandmother using a type of sting called sinew (processed). It is a strong material and better to use instead of cotton or even polyester. Originally the sinew was made from the tendons of game animals such as deer.

This coral was acquired through a family friend and the heishe shell used as the spacer beads inbetween the coral pieces as bought from a local trader's shop. The necklace was finished by knotting the sinew to secure it and then it was wrapped in cotton string.

As you may know (or not) coral is a cultural item that has historically been favored among the Navajo and Pueblo people. Coral is a traditionally INDIGENOUS trade item that ancestor peoples traded from the southwest to other Pacific coast Indigenous groups in the past.  For the Dine', coral is a significant cultural item that is used in both social and ceremonial settings, and has great importance in Dine' Epistemology. Coral necklaces have historically been used to showcase wealth of and individual or also to exemplify the leadership skills of and individual in Navajo society.

In this current environmental state, coral has become an item that is very difficult to get. Due to pollution in the Pacific ocean near the Baja of California many of the coral is not growing healthy or at time is found to be bleached white, so alot of the coral in the markets are dyed.

SantoDomingo. necklace.



Santo Domingo-made turquoise, coral and mother of pearl necklace.
Photograph by Venaya Yazzie 2013

I  acquired this Pueblo inspired-made necklace at the Navajo Nation fair a couple years back. This jewelry item was made using natural earth elements including: turquoise (variety), coral, mother of pearl shell, and heishe shell beads.

The necklace style with the hanging two-strand turquoise at the bottom is highly favored in Navajo designed items also. In Navajo, that item is referred to as jaatlool, or earrings. It is worn as a type of dowry item by the mother and then given as she has female children.

I so adore this item!

Naja.Silver beads.



Navajo designed silver and turquoise necklaces and chokers.
Photograph by Venaya Yazzie 2013



First, I am going to share my three fav silver jewelry items: one silver necklace and two chokers inlayed with turquoise a stone via the naja pendant. I photographed these items in my backyard in the rock/sandstone garden. After picking out the best sandstone slab I place each piece carefully atop it and the result was amazing!

The middle necklace was strung by my grandmother and the other two chokers were strung by myself.  The importance of these three items concerns the fact that the silver beads featured are family heirloom beads that were passed on to my as an adult. Each bead was hand-made by extended family members from raw silver and shaped into round beads. Each bead is hollow and therefore not very heavy alone, but when strung together into a necklace can be very weighted.

I restrung the two chokers and added the naja pendants to each of them. I have always admired the historical jewelry pieces that were made in the choker style so I made these two pieces in reference to such style.

Dine' Cultural Jewelry. Cultural memory.

My cultural memory involves jewelry.

My cultural landscape involves jewlery making items.

Growing up I have always been among turquoise and silver cultural items via jewelry pieces. Looking at my grandmother's family photo albums I find my childhood included a plethora of tiny silver bracelets, rings and earrings. In some I am ADORNED in my great-grandmother's own fine jewelry. I am happy about this heritage I carry now with me as an adult, and that is why I have started this blog: to share.

In the 21st century I still ADORN myself with southwestern tribal jewelry pieces just as I was ADORNED as a young girl. I own a good variety of Navajo and Pueble made jewelry items and am always on the lookout for adding new ones to my collection.

Today, I am going to share some of my cultural jewelry pieces I have photographed and share some of the stories behind them. Why? Because each jewelry item has their very own story, and they all perpetuate INDIGENOUS cultural  jewelry ADORNMENT in some way.

Blessings.  vj

Spiritual ADORNMENT.

Being raised among a myriad of Dine' matriarchs, the concept of Indigenous Dine' ADORNMENT is much more than material, its organic, its fully spiritual.

-Venaya

Fab.Lillian Ashely.Dine' singer

Navajo woman Lillian Ashely of Sweethearts of Navajo land sings a traditional social song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MRtgqJaHZc

Navajo girls.Adorned

Dine' (Navajo) girls.

Navajo hair.style

Dine' (Navajo) women.