Kewa Pueblo Depression Era Classic Vintage Necklace with Eagle [SOLD]

This gorgeous necklace had its origin at Santo Domingo Pueblo most likely in the 1920s-1930s during the national depression. The ivory-colored beads and tabs have yellowed like fossil ivory; however, it is likely they are made from sun-dried bone. The black strips on the tabs, and also as the backing for the eagle, are likely cut from discarded automobile battery boxes. The turquoise is natural and likely are chips from other jewelry creations.

When one thinks of what the Mother Road or Route 66 brought to the native people of the Southwest, it usually is of tourists buying souvenirs and trinkets, and of burgeoning businesses like hotels and restaurants catering to the tourists. Fred Harvey and his gift shops come to mind. What one probably doesn't think about are the broken-down vehicles, victims to the dry air and heat of the desert; or of the dead batteries abandoned along the way as stranded travelers replaced burnt-out batteries with new ones, leaving a new resource for the craftspeople; or of enterprising artists at Santo Domingo Pueblo repurposing old battery casings or discarded red plastic hair combs. Yet, that is what they did.

For centuries, residents of Santo Domingo Pueblo were known for beautiful creations composed of shell, turquoise, and jet, which they traded first among their Pueblo neighbors, then to their Mexican neighbors and finally to Americans traveling into Indian Country seeking adventure. As these materials became harder to find and more expensive, they creatively turned to other materials-sun-bleached animal bone, castoff battery cases and colorful remnants of plastic combs and toothbrushes.

This necklace is a classic example of the Santo Domingo depression era necklaces.

Condition: very good condition.

Provenance: this Kewa Pueblo Depression Era Classic Vintage Necklace with Eagle is from a gentleman from the Santa Fe

Recommended Reading:

- Santo Domingo Pueblo Jewelry by Sally and J. Roderick Moore in The Magazine Antiques, Brant Publications, Inc. July 2009, vol. CLXXVI, no. 1. pp. 56-61.

- Santo Domingo Pueblo's DEPRESSION JEWELRY by Cindra Kline in El Palacio, Spring 2015

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, KEWA, Santo Domingo Pueblo