The knifewing became one of the first designs that the Zuni inlaid with stones. Afterwards, other Zuni, Navajo and Pueblo began producing knifewing designs. Horace Iule (also known for his crosses) is credited with creating the first knifewing design in the late 1920s, cut and filed out of wrought silver. The tribe often wears clothes or garments that replicate the coloring. It is meant to represent an eagle’s life from birth to death.

This dance is meant to represent and replicate the movements of an eagle when it is flying or hunting. He was doubtless the original War God of the Zunis.” The eagle was considered powerful among tribes and was often admired and worshiped as a god would be. His guardians or warriors are the Great Mountain Lion of the North and that of the upper regions.

His weapons are the Great Flint-Knife of War, the Bow of the Skies (the Rainbow), and the Arrow of Lightning. His dress consists of the conventional terraced cap (representative of his dwelling place among the clouds). He is represented as possessing a human form, furnished with flint knife-feathered pinions, and tail. “This curious god is the hero of hundreds of folklore tales, the tutelary deity of several societies of Zuni. He is the ultimate warrior.Īnthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing, who lived with the Zunis from 1879-1884 described knifewing this way: Knifewing, also Knife Wing, is a half man – half eagle Zuni spirit or god with razor sharp feathers made of flint. United States, Kiva Pub., 1997.To see an updated and expanded article on the topic of Knifewing, go to my new blog post: Knifewing: Native American Diety Whether it’s simple or elaborate, this symbol carries a timeless, elegant mystique that brings the spirit of the American West into the present day.īassman, Theda. The naja is one of the most beautiful and recognizable emblems found in Native American silver jewelry. They may be plainly wrought in silver, hand-tooled, or adorned with turquoise and other stones. Today, you can find the naja and its adjoining squash blossom necklace in a variety of styles. Many najas feature a decorative stone or charm that hangs freely from the center of the pendant. The Navajo silversmiths have even used the “Rainbow Man,” who is a symbol of protection, as the naja. Some silversmiths have placed hands, which may reference the Moorish “hands of Fatima,” at each point of the crescent. The Night Chant is a healing chantway and a major ceremony that must be carried out in minute detail in exact prescribed order.

They contribute different stylistic flourishes to the crescent shape by closing its ends or crossing it with double and triple bars. At Kachina House, we carry a selection of Kachina dolls and masks that represent Yeibichai dancers. Through the years, the naja form has inspired many Native American artists, who interpret it according to their own unique visions. The Navajo created their first necklaces out of silver in the 1870s and started using lapidary techniques like cluster work, petit point, needlepoint, and inlay in the 1880s. Some featured a pin clasp that allowed the jewelry to be worn on fabric as a brooch. These pendants featured stamped or chiseled decorative elements and were attached to a necklace with a hook, loop, or bail. It wasn’t long before the Navajo and Zuni were hammering or casting silver to make naja pendants similar to the ones we see today. The Navajo acquired metalworking skills from Mexican blacksmiths and started working in silver around 1875. The Zuni and Hopi Pueblo peoples adopted the naja and include it in their designs. The naja was an amulet on the bridle of a horse to protect the horse and rider from “the evil eye.”. The Navajo people may have adopted the naja from the Spanish people themselves. The naja was first seen in North America as the Spaniards moved into the West in the late 16th century. Today, the naja is still used as a pendant on squash blossom necklaces and other jewelry.” (Bassman, 6) One example is the naja, a crescent-shaped pendant appearing on the bridles of Spanish horses, originally used by the Moors of North Africa and eventually copied by the Navajos. “The Navajos greatly admired the silverwork of the early Spaniards, who loved personal adornment that was lavishly decorated with silver. In The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry, Theda Bassman states that: Sometimes naja are worn on their own, but they are most frequently seen hanging from the center of a Navajo squash blossom necklace. For over a century, the Navajo and Zuni peoples have crafted shining crescent-shaped pendants called naja out of silver.

Navajo thunderbird meaning