Ferdinand Hooee — Zuni Silversmith
Zuni silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Ferdinand Hooee, a Zuni silversmith, was profiled with his wife, Sylvia Hooee, in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: F S H, a mark shared with his wife, Sylvia Hooee (Hougart (2022)).
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.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 52), Ferdinand Hooee, born in 1957, learned silverwork from his mother, Enta Lynn, about 1972-73, starting with a horseshoe-shaped pendant in about the ninth grade. [1]
Ferdinand Hooee told Bahti (2007) about learning from his mother:
“At the beginning she soldered for me until I got good at it.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 52 [1]
Speaking to Bahti (2007) about design, Ferdinand said:
“I always drew on scraps of paper, paper bags. All the time.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 55 [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 55) reported that he and Sylvia started out with a stars-and-feathers design, that their drawings were largely geometric, and that in April 1999 they opened their shop, Silver Rain Jewelry. [1]
Of the first star bracelet they made, Ferdinand and Sylvia Hooee told Bahti (2007):
“Occasionally we take it out to look at it—and laugh at it”
— Bahti (2007), p. 55 [1]
Ferdinand and Sylvia Hooee told Bahti (2007):
“We never draw, or make use of, katsina designs. For us personally it is a taboo.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 55 [1]
Family in the directory: Sylvia Hooee
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.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
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