Native, Spanish, and Moorish Influences

From the exhibition:
Turquoise, Water, Sky: The Stone and Its Meaning

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

The squash blossom necklace is an iconic symbol of the Southwest, but the crescent and flowers began as Moorish symbols that were brought to the region by Spanish explorers and settlers. Navajo jewelers adopted the crescent, which they called a naja, and flowers (now squash blossoms instead of pomegranate flowers) and used them on necklaces. This necklace (Cat # 56966/12, 15” by 10.5”) is Navajo in origin. One ketoh, or bow guard, is Navajo (Cat # 10687/12), while the other was made by Santo Domino Pueblo artist Luther Aguilar in 1952 (Cat # 36139/12). Both are about four inches long and made of silver, turquoise, and leather. The rings are Navajo (Cat # 36078/12, made by Tom Morris, and 10514/12) and made of turquoise and silver.

Usage: Photo Kitty Leaken

Credit: Courtesey MIAC


Note: Representative image at left is often cropped for display purposes. Downloaded high-resolution images are not cropped.