Hand and Ring

photo by Venaya Yazzie

Photograph of my hand adorned with vintage Navajo turquoise and silver ring. This was taken in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Heirloom Navajo Pins

my hand adorned in heirloom pins
photo by Venaya Yazzie

These Navajo silver and turquoise pins are heirloom pieces, some belong to me and some to my grandmother. The turquoise is varied.

Coins and Velveteen and Navajo

Navajo woman adorned circa 1930s
Web photo

Here is a fine example of a Navajo women in full adornment. This southwestern Indigenous adornment was perpetuated by Navajo women of the 1930s and 40s era on the Navajo reservation.

My grandmother has many photographs such as this one. The woman pictured here is wearing a velveteen shirt adorned with silver dimes, or currency. Instead of fashioning silver into buttons, many women chose to use the shiny coins to decorate their clothing. Sometimes they would also use quarters, and later some Navajo women used the coins given by Anglo traders on the reservation.

After the U.S. government learned of such practices they announces that the Navajo could not longer "deface" American property, so this type of fashion faded out.

I adore this photograph.

respect the stone.

my turquoise collection
photo by Venaya Yazzie

.dootłízhi.

turquoise for the Diné is meant to perpetuate hózhó. a good life. it us a stone that was gifted to us humble beings by the holy ones. it has a specific purpose in cultural ways of being (indigenous sw epistemology)& thereforeshould be respected. its not meant to promote the social ills of american pop culture....i.e. crudeness, violence, sexuality, drugs, etc. For if u'adorn' yourself w/ turquoise you are receiving blessings from Creator. please don't use it without prayer and reflection : it is an important element in cultural sw pueblo/diné dogma.

this *insight: frm masani is vital.always