Journal
The development of the designs and colors found in historic Navajo weavings is a part of the tale of the people themselves. To understand why certain designs took hold, and what colors and patterns developed and where, one must look to the changes which took place when the proud Navajo became the wards of the […]
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Sheep is life. Three simple words to convey a history of cultural connections. To the traditional Navajo, these words reveal the hardships and triumphs of their past. That history can be found in the beauty of their weavings. Through them, we can understand more about how Navajo culture developed and how it is faring in […]
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Darryl Dean Begay is a Navajo jewelry silversmith and a renowned master of the tufa casting technique. Darryl has been silversmithing for 16 years and has won many awards and accolades. In 2009, Darryl and his wife Rebecca jointly won...
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Navajo jewelry has become one of the most sacred parts of the modern Navajo Nation‘s Native culture. The Navajo are believed to have first learned jewelry making and metal working from the Spanish. Today the Navajo artists use traditional as well as modern tools, to create some distinctive and highly desired jewelry. Traditionally Navajo families of jewelry artists and silversmiths teach these techniques and methods to their children, allowing the craft to be passed down from generation to generation. Many talented artists have emerged who continue to evolve the Navajo style and unique tribal methods have developed over the last few centuries.
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Tufa (also called tuff) is a type of volcanic stone. Massive volcanic explosions send millions of tons of ash into the air, which then settles in layers downwind. Over a long time, these ash layers are compressed into tufa, a light and porous volcanic stone. Tufa has been used by humans for centuries as a […]
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