Gary Yoyokie — Hopi Silversmith
Gary Yoyokie came to silver through the door of a workshop. Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records that he "worked at Hopicraft, sweeping and doing other chores during the summers while he was still in high school. He picked up the rudiments of silversmithing there and continued to develop his skill, finally working full time with the silver" (Wright 2003, p. 60).
Wright counts him among the smiths who "have won top prizes on silver belts and other pieces at major craft shows with their traditional pieces" (Wright 2003, p. 59), and shows silver overlay belt buckles made in 1997 by Gary and Elsie Yoyokie (Wright 2003, p. 59). He taught as well: Ernest W. Honanie learned from him (Wright 2003, p. 109).
Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as "Gary Yoyokie (1953-; Hopi)," active since the 1960s, working in "Overlay; inside decorations; set stones; silver, gold," and lists Elsie Yoyokie as Navajo (Hougart 2022, p. 351).
His hallmark
Hougart gives his marks as "Spider; G Y (chisel stamp); G Y E Y (chisel stamps)" (Hougart 2022, p. 351). Wright indexes the spider and the G Y E Y initials as joint marks of Gary and Elsie Yoyokie, and G Y as his own (Wright 2003, pp. 121, 124).
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References
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- 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.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
Baxter (2000), in her entry on Gary (Hopi, born 1953) and Elsie Yoyokie (Navajo, born 1951), wrote:
“This husband-and-wife team met at Phoenix (Arizona) Indian High School.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 190 [3]
Baxter (2000) described how their designs began:
“Gary is the principal designer, and the pair’s designs take shape as drawings on cutout aluminum templates, including such motifs as clouds, dancers, masks, rabbits, and rain or water symbols important to Hopi lifeways”
— Baxter (2000), p. 190 [3]
Baxter (2000, p. 190) recorded that the pair won a variety of awards through the 1990s, including the Charles Loloma Award from the Museum of Northern Arizona in 1992. [3]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003) entered him as
“Gary Yoyokie (Gary Allen Yoyokie, Sr.), (hallmark - spider, EY, GY)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 336 [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 336) recorded Gary Yoyokie as Hopi, born at Keams Canyon and living at Kykotsmovi, active from about 1969 in gold and silver overlay, set-stone and appliqué jewelry, a son of Lorenzo and Lottie Yoyokie, educated at Phoenix High School and Northern Arizona University, and taught by Wayne Sekaquaptewa and at Hopicrafts. [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 336) listed among his awards Indian Market prizes for concha belts in 1991 and buckles and ketohs in 2000, the Charles Loloma Award and an Honoring the Legacy award of 1994 from the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Best of Show at the Twin Cities Indian Market. [4]
Gary and Elsie Yoyokie told Schaaf (2003):
“We hope our children will carry on the Yoyokie's artwork”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 337 [4]
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.