Bryant Waatsa Sr. — Zuni Silversmith
Zuni silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Bryant Waatsa Sr., a Zuni silversmith, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
No hallmark is recorded for this artist in our sources yet. If you have a signed piece, we would love to see the mark.
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
As Bryant Waatsa Sr. told Bahti (2007):
“It was a few years before the war I started making needlepoint jewelry. I'm the original one.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 192 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 190), Bryant Waatsa was born into the Crow Clan at Zuni in 1918 and learned silverwork and turquoise cutting from his father; when his father died, when Bryant was about fifteen, during the Great Depression, he took over making jewelry, and his first piece was a bracelet set with a row of round-cut turquoise. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 190), he sold to the old-time Zuni traders, including Ed Kelsey, the Vanderwagens and C. G. Wallace, mostly on special order, furnishing his own silver and turquoise. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 192), his earliest needlepoint had the tiny silver drops set to the inside, between the knife-like bezels, and after World War II he began setting them to the outside edge; his late wife, Esther, did the turquoise cutting while he did the silverwork. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 193), he began to sign his work during the boom of the mid-1970s, at the request of the traders he worked with. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 192), as of 2007 his sons Duwayne and Evan made jewelry full-time, Bryant Jr. worked silver occasionally, son Robbie cut stones for his father's work, and grandson Lance was making jewelry too. [1]
Family in the directory: Duwayne Waatsa
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
As of 2000, Baxter ranked him among the leading needlepoint makers:
“Edith Tsabetsaye (b. 1940) and Bryant Waatsa, Sr., both of Zuni, are two of the most highly regarded creators of needlepoint jewelry.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 120 [2]
From the Library: Bassman and Bassman, Zuni Jewelry (2006)
2006 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2006, not today.
Bassman and Bassman (2006, p. 64) pictured a turquoise needlepoint bracelet made in 1998 by Bryant Waatsa, Sr. [3]
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Baxter, Paula A., with Allison Bird-Romero. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry: A Guide to History, People, and Terms. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 2000. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2000.
- Bassman, Theda, and Michael Bassman. Zuni Jewelry. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. Photographs by Gene Balzer. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2006 (first published 1992). Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2006.
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This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and is compiled from published sources, cited above. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.