Richard Kagenvema — Hopi Silversmith
Richard Kagenvema filed silver the old way. Margery Bedinger's Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers writes that he "employs the early technique of filing with skillfulness equal to that of any Navajo" (Bedinger 1973, p. 208), and shows a filed Hopi buckle of his held by the Museum of Northern Arizona (Bedinger 1973, p. 191).
He trained in the Hopi G.I. Bill silver classes: Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, dates his start at Shungopavi to 1948 (Wright 2003, p. 78), and Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks places him in the class of 1949 to 1951 (Hougart 2022, p. 165). Wright records that Bennett Kagenvema learned from him and the Guild (Wright 2003, p. 94).
Wright gives 1982 for his death (Wright 2003, p. 78); Hougart gives about 1983 (Hougart 2022, p. 165), and lists him as Hopi, working in overlay.
His hallmark
Wright indexes his mark as a "Rattlesnake Head" (Wright 2003, p. 119) and notes that he "Added fangs to the head of his silvermark about 1969" (Wright 2003, p. 78). Hougart dates the fangs to after about 1970 (Hougart 2022, p. 165).
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References
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973.
- 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.
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.