Santo Domingo Pueblo Native American Thunderbird Necklace

Description: Offered by Antique American Indian Art, llc---AAIA--- Santo Domingo Pueblo Native American Thunderbird Necklace ca 1940's23" L + 2.75" x 1.75" WEagle Pendant with 8 triangle attachment.Recently re-stringed; Excellent overall condition.Santo Domingo thunderbird necklace with gypsum, turquoise, and battery beads. During the Depression the Santo Domingo Indians showed ingenuity during hardship by creating these pieces by collecting plastic utensils, batteries, gypsum, and turquoise chips. They would melt down batteries to create the backings and adorn them with found materials. These necklaces were made during a very short period of time by a small community of Indians.--For hundreds of years craftspeople at Santo Domingo Pueblo (now known by its traditional name, Kewa) were known for exquisite shell, turquoise, and jet jewelry that they made and traded throughout the Southwest. But by the 1920s these traditional materials were scarce. Motivated by circumstance, jewelers at Santo Domingo discovered an exciting new medium: abandoned automobile battery casings.Manufactured from hard rubber, discarded car batteries made an admirable substitute for traditional jet, and with Route 66 bringing throngs of motorists into the West, they were abundant. Batteries were soon augmented with broken phonograph records and bright colored celluloid from combs and other household goods. By the 1930s Santo Domingo had developed a unique style of folk-art jewelry, made entirely of repurposed and found materials: sun-bleached animal bone, local gypsum, tiny chips of turquoise, and modern plastics.Gathered in rangelands, trash dumps, salvage yards, and dime stores, these unlikely items formed the basis of a new economic enterprise for the pueblo. Whole families took part in the manufacture of whimsical, colorful necklaces whose signature motif was a Thunderbird with outstretched wings. Santa Fe’s art community dismissed these creations as “tourist junk,” but tourists couldn’t get enough. At roadside stands, on railroad platforms, and in curio shops, Thunderbird necklaces sold by the thousands. -Wheelwright Museum 240325-01Welcome to Matt Wood's Antique American Indian Art, llc (AAIA) eBay ListingsPlease HIT "SAVE THIS SELLER" in top-right corner of listing if you want notifications of our new listings. As the nation’s leading gallery of Antique North American Indian Art and Artifacts, we invite you to consider the beautiful art and artifacts that we list on eBay with full confidence in the authenticity and legality of the item, in the accuracy of the listing, and in the professionalism that we demonstrate in processing each transaction. Celebrating over 45 years in business, Matt Wood and Len Wood are founding members of ATADA (Antique Tribal Arts and Dealers Association), and we provide you, the collector, a unique opportunity to buy directly from our gallery inventory via eBay. We offer Certificates of Authenticity, a 7-day home inspection period allowing returns for full refunds (less shipping/insurance costs), and a lifetime trade-back policy (call for details). We are confident that you will be pleased with the value, service and peace-of-mind that our gallery can offer you. Thank you for looking! SHIPMENT We package all items for shipment in the utmost professional manner, and all shipments are fully insured. Please read our Store Policies for all of our shipping information.PLEASE FOLLOW US on eBay - If you hit the FOLLOW THIS SELLER link on the top right of this listing under the Seller Information button, you will be able to get the early notices of our new additions and sales. We will be adding lots of quality Antique American Indian Art over the next few months.

Price: 433.5 USD

Location: Oak Harbor, Washington

End Time: 2024-12-14T22:17:12.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD