JEWELRY: from traditional to art and fashion

All tribes have different forms of jewelry which may be used to symbolize certain meanings, used during specific dances or simply as personal adornment.  This blog post will focus on the jewelry of the Akimel O'odham tribe of Arizona previously known as the Pima Indians ("Pima" was a miscommunication between the tribe and Spanish conquistadores so I will refer to them as Akimel O'odham or just O'odham which is more culturally specific).  The O'odham people and are located just South of Phoenix, AZ.  I interviewed a well know spiritual healer from the Akimel O'odham tribe who also makes traditional shell jewelry named Timothy Terry Jr. 

Tim Terry, Jr. has been etching and carving shells for over 20 years and has participated at the famous market at the Heard Museum in Phoenix for over seven years, attended the Santa Fe Indian Market for two years, and been a featured artitst at the the Pueblo Grande Art Show for the past eight years.  The Heard Museum has also asked for his knowledege to understand ancient collections of shells found around the Pheonix area.  Apart from the art he produces, Tim's main job title is the work he does with his tribe as a drug and alcohol counselor.  He combines his jewelry and art with his job as a counselor to help heal the people in his community who suffer from substance addictions. Tim has been involved in creating art his whole life, about 45 years.  He learned traditional techniques of making jewelry from his grandfather but perfected his own style in subsequent years.  The main jewelry Tim makes is made out of shells.


To the Akimel O'odham tribe, located in the desert, the shell represents and honors the ocean and water.  In the O'odham tribe, the ocean is a female entity representing water as life and fertility.  To the O'odham, the shell is used as a symbol to remember the importance of water because it gives life and is extremely important to agricultural practices in the desert.  Tim explained to me where his people obtained the shells they began to make their jewelry with.  "A long time ago the shells were acquired through trade with tribes in Southern California or to pilgrimages to the ocean in Mexico for shells and sea salt" said Tim. 

Tim is able to render intricate traditional designs on shells, and he has said that his more traditional style of art garners the most attention.  The turquoise stone used is a stone for good luck and a symbol of prosperity for his tribe and many others.    Here are a few pictures of the jewelry he produces:

These are a few of his jewelry pieces, of which the traditional designs of his people are etched.  One is the kokepelli image and the other (above) the popular image of the "Man in the Maze" design.  In the O'odham tribe, the "Man in the Maze" represents ones journey in life.  A more clear representation can be seen to the right.



As Tim explained to me the human figure at the top represents any human, and the maze, represent that humans journey through life.  Although it is called "Man in the Maze", Tim explained to me that it is a representation of a human no matter their sex.  The corners represent low points in life or hardships faced, such as death, divorce, or any negative experiences.  The rounded straight lines represent happy or high points in an individuals life, and the center dot represents the passage into the world after death, not heaven or hell just the next place after death as the O'odham tribe does not believe in such binaries.  There is one last last corner before reaching the center that represents, a last reflection on life before death, to clear your consicouss before meeting your ancestors in the center.  Tim incorporates the "Man in the Maze" design in much of his art.  


Tim says "when I make jewelry, I make it with positive thoughts and repect the materials I am working with."(Similar to Maria Martinez's thanks to the earth before gathering clay to be used for her pottery mentioned in my previous post).  Much of the traditional intentions of wearing jewelry was for protection from hardships and bad energies that can affect a person.  This is where Tim's work with the art he produces and his substance abuse counseling intersect.  Since he is a counselor for his tribe, he produces art and jewelry to educate his people about traditional ways and uses the traditional jewelry as a way to heal people from addictions.  To the O'odham, once an addiction, of any kind, consumes your life a part of the addiction manifests itself into your life or spirit.  When one is to quit an addiction that leaves a "hole" in the persons spirit that can be filled with something else or healed through traditional practices and using traditional art forms such as jewelry to accompany the traditional healing practices.  As I have mentioned, many tribes do not view jewelry or art they produce as separate from their epistemologies and ways of life.   


Not only does Mr. Terry use his jewelry for traditional healing but also as an alternate form of income.  Many of his pieces contain such an alluring aesthetic it can be used to simply decorate a home.  Here are more of his creations.

To the right, a shell with the "Man in the Maze" and water symbols etched on the bottom.  And above a rattle snake etching which is common on the O'odham homeland.















 While he frequently gifts his art to people he also sells it at various markets or through personal contact. (If anyone is interested let me know :)). 



More of his jewelry is seen here, earrings and a necklace.  Many of his unique creations are frequently given as gifts as well.



It is important for Native jewelers to sign their jewelry or include a business card letting the purchaser know the jewelers name and which tribe they come from.  This in accordance with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.  This act protects misrepresentations of Indian Art and the Indian it refers to is one of a federally recognized tribe of the United States or Alaskan Natives.  It is interesting to me that people would imitate the Indian art and try to produce a fake product because as we all know, Indian Art is made with special intentions, purposes and meanings.  The law protects against false representations of traditional and contemporary art after 1935 and a violation of this act can result in fines or prison.  This law has allowed many Natives another avenue to promote their culture while also gaining another form of income.  


Here is an interesting article regarding cultural appropriation that was recently written by Indian Country today, please check it out, it is titled "Culture Clash: Native Made vs. Native-Inspired.


CULTURAL APPROPRIATION OF AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY

Thanks for reading I hope you have gained even more knowledge of the Indigenous people to this land and more specifically the Akimel O'odham tribe. More to come soon!