Horace Iule — Silversmith
Overview
Horace Iule (1899–1978) was a Zuni master silversmith, active 1924–1978 — hand-wrought and cast work, set stones, some inlay: crosses, bracelets, rings and pendants, and above all the Knifewing figure. Taught blacksmithing at the Phoenix Indian School and silversmithing by his father, he went on to teach silversmithing himself at the Zuni Day School. In 1928 he created a Knifewing figure in silver, and our reference library calls him perhaps the first master Zuni artisan.
Adair (1944) described him as "versatile and skilled" — a master of casting, wrought work and lapidary alike. The Extension Service wrote in 1932: "Horace is considered to be the best jewelry maker of his tribe and won first prize on a collection at the recent Inter-Tribal Ceremonial and Fair at Gallup, NM." He collaborated with his wife Lupe Iule, and was father of Barney, Cecilia, Phillip, Robert, Ruby and Wilbur Iule.
Collector’s caution: Hougart warns directly: beware of modern fakes of the H. IULE mark. The documented tells are in the letterforms — the middle bar of the E is slightly shorter than the other two, and the U may sit very slightly elevated relative to the other letters. Compare against verified examples before attributing.
The Mark
"Mark: H. IULE (the middle bar of the E slightly shorter than the other two; the U may sit very slightly elevated relative to the other letters); beware of modern fakes." — Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022).
The mark as documented in Hougart's hallmark reference: H. IULE (the middle bar of the E slightly shorter than the other two; the U may sit very slightly elevated relative to the other letters).
References
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1944.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1973.
- Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. The Civilization of the American Indian Series. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1944. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1944.
- 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.
Know more about this artist? Contact T.Skies.
From the Library: Bedinger, Indian Silver (1973)
1973 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1973, not today.
Bedinger (1973, p. 134) spells the name 'Aiuli'; this is probably the same smith. [1]
According to Bedinger (1973, p. 134), who spells the name Aiuli, Horace was the grandson of Hatsetsenane (Sneezing Man), a first-generation Zuni silversmith, and his father was also a silverworker. She called him one of the best silver craftsmen at Zuni when Adair was there. [1]
According to Bedinger (1973, p. 151), Horace, who had been with the craft almost from its beginnings, admitted to the researcher Sikorski that some women smiths were more skilled than he was. [1]
According to Bedinger (1973, p. 200), unlike most Zuni smiths, who did little casting, Horace Aiuli made high-quality castings in which the silver was the main feature, with good-sized stones that set off the metal; he also worked in iron, making tools for his own use and for sale. [1]
From the Library: Adair, The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths (1944)
1944 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1944, not today.
According to Adair (1944, p. 136), Horace's father, whom Adair also calls Aiuli, was one of the four most outstanding of the eight Zuni smiths who made silver in quantity in 1920, with Lanyade, Juan Deleosa and Kuwishti. [2]
Adair (1944), who spells the name Horace Aiuli, recorded why he turned from blacksmithing to silver:
“Because he was unable to find employment as a blacksmith at Zuñi, since the one smithy there was sufficient for the needs of the village, he turned to silversmithing and has been at it ever since.”
— Adair (1944), p. 137 [2]
In the late 1930s, Adair (1944) ranked him among the best at Zuni:
“At the present time he is one of the two or three best artisans in the pueblo, and his ability as a craftsman is recognized by the natives as well as the white people.”
— Adair (1944), p. 137 [2]
Adair (1944) recorded Horace's own account of the first silver Knife-Wing:
“Horace was the first smith in the village to represent Knife-Wing in silver, in 1928. The first one he made was cut and filed out of wrought silver.”
— Adair (1944), p. 139 [2]
According to Adair (1944, p. 139), the traders liked that first Knife-Wing so much that they asked for more; two years later Horace tried casting it, found it easier, and kept to casting. [2]
According to Adair (1944, p. 140), Horace coated his carved stone molds not with powdered charcoal, as some smiths did, but with carbon from the smoke of hot coals smothered with peach pits. [2]
According to Adair (1944, p. 140), after Horace told him he was the first in the village to make Knife-Wing, Adair received contrary evidence in a letter from Mrs. Lewis of Zuni, who wrote that in 1932 the trader Kelsey had the Navajo smith Ike Wilson make the first Knife bird. [2]
According to Adair (1944, p. 142), smiths who learned from Horace included his cousins Raymond and Jerry Watson, once his helpers, and Okweene Neese and Benny Hamona, brothers of his first wife. [2]
According to Adair (1944, p. 150), casting was never a popular technique at Zuni: in 1940 no more than six smiths did cast work in any quantity, and he named Horace Aiuli and Juan Deleosa the best of them. [2]
Adair (1944, p. 198), who spelled the name Horace Aiuli, listed him among the Zuñi silversmiths of 1940. [2]
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
Baxter (2000) headed her entry with these dates:
“Iule, Horace (1901-1978, Zuni)”
— Baxter (2000), p. 88 [3]
As of 2000, Baxter recorded that the family carried on the work, a point for anyone reading the mark:
“His children continue his legacy of fine design and craftsmanship, even using his casting equipment to make “Iule” pieces.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 88 [3]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 160) wrote that the Zuni channel inlay master Annie Quam Gasper (1927-2002) learned sandcasting from Horace Iule. [4]
Schaaf (2003) wrote of his start:
“In 1924, his father taught him silversmithing.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 187 [4]
Schaaf (2003) described his method:
“He carved his sandcast molds out of stone.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 187 [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 187) named Louie Waseta and Jack Weekoty among his students, recorded his wife, Lupe Iule, as from San Felipe Pueblo, and listed his work in the Peabody Museum at Harvard and the Maxwell Museum at the University of New Mexico. [4]
Schaaf (2003) entered his daughter as
“Lupe Leekity (Lupe Iule, Lupeta)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 213 [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 213) wrote that Lupe Leekity is the daughter of Horace and Lupe Iule, and that the sandcast pieces she and her husband George Leekity made from Horace Iule's designs are signed IULE, so an IULE stamp alone does not show which generation made a piece. [4]
Field Notes by Mateo James
This page dates Horace's first silver Knifewing to 1928, which is what Horace told Adair. Adair also printed a letter from Mrs. Lewis of Zuni crediting the first Knife bird to the Navajo smith Ike Wilson, made for the trader Kelsey in 1932 from a Fred Harvey letterhead design. Adair left both accounts on the record, and so do I.
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.
Name card shown; hallmark photo to come.
Our page gives Horace Iule's birth year as 1899. Baxter's 2000 encyclopedia heads his entry 1901-1978. The two agree on 1978 for his death, so I show both birth years as printed.