Pierce Kewanwytewa — Hopi Silversmith
Pierce Kewanwytewa learned silver the hard way. Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records that before 1906 he and his cousin Ralph Tawangyaouma, both of Oraibi, "melted the solder off tin cans and used it to practice silverwork" (Wright 2003, p. 15).
He was demonstrating silverwork at the Museum of Northern Arizona's Hopi Craftsmen Show by 1937 (Wright 2003, p. 14). Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry shows a bracelet with one turquoise stone he made in 1939–1940 (Bassman 1993, p. 3). Around 1934 he moved to Zia Pueblo and kept making silver there (Wright 2003, p. 75).
Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as Hopi, 1890 to 1960, working in hand-wrought silver, set stones and overlay (Hougart 2022, p. 171). Wright also gives 1960 for his death (Wright 2003, p. 75). Margery Bedinger's Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers, quoting a 1962 account by White, records a Hopi smith named "Pierce Kanareywa" who came to live at Sia and "died in 1954" (Bedinger 1973, p. 176); the story matches his, but the name and the year differ.
His hallmark
The sources disagree. Wright records no mark for him (Wright 2003, p. 75). Hougart lists "A corn plant" and notes that "he also used a sans serif H (for Hopi) and a Zuni Mt. symbol" (Hougart 2022, p. 171).
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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.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1993.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 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.
- 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: Adair, The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths (1944)
1944 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1944, not today.
Adair's 1944 list of Hopi silversmiths working outside the reservation in 1938 included him, spelled Kewaytewa:
“Pierce Kewaytewa, of Oraibi, works in the pueblo at Zia”
— Adair (1944), p. 195 [5]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 204) recorded Pierce Kewanwytewa as Hopi, of Oraibi, active from about the 1930s to 1960, married into Zia Pueblo in 1934, a maternal first cousin of Ralph Tawangyaouma, taught by Sakewyumptewa, and making belt buckles, bow guards, bracelets, concha belts, earrings and squash blossom necklaces. [6]
Schaaf (2003, p. 204) also recorded his demonstration at the 1937 Hopi Craftsman Show at the Museum of Northern Arizona. [6]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice the books give different birth years. Hougart lists him as born in 1890, while Schaaf's 2003 entry gives about 1906; Wright's note that he was practising silverwork before 1906 sits more easily with the earlier year. I show each as printed.
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