Slender Maker of Silver — Pioneer of Navajo Silversmithing
Diné (Navajo) · d. 1916 · Active 1880s–1890s, near Crystal, New Mexico
Slender Maker of Silver was a Diné (Navajo) silversmith of Crystal, New Mexico, a younger brother of Atsidi Sani, who made most of his work in the 1880s and 1890s and died in 1916. The Franciscan Fathers called him “one of the best, if not the best silversmith in the tribe,” and Van Valkenburgh's notes credit him with the first buckles, star-like buttons and flat bracelets. He left no hallmark.
KEY POINTS
- He died in 1916 and made most of his pieces in the 1880s and 1890s.
- Bedinger calls him a younger brother of Atsidi Sani.
- Van Valkenburgh's notes credit him with the first buckles, star-like buttons and flat-type bracelets.
- Who first set turquoise in silver is disputed: he, Atsidi Chon, or an unnamed smith.
- He has no hallmark. Any attribution rests on provenance.
Before hallmarks
If you search for a Slender Maker of Silver hallmark, stop: there isn't one, and there never was. He died in 1916 — twenty-two years before the Indian Arts and Crafts Board began its stamp program in 1938, and decades before the Navajo Guild pushed hallmarking into common practice in the 1950s. No source documents any mark for him. His work is identified the hard way: provenance (above all the pieces he made for his friend and patron Chee Dodge) and oral history.
Collector's caution — read before you attribute. Because no mark exists, any unmarked 19th-century piece offered as "Slender Maker of Silver" rests entirely on its paper trail. Attributing unmarked classic-era silver to a famous name is one of the most speculative moves in this field — and famous names attract exactly that. Even the great c. 1885 Ben Wittick photograph of the smith comes with a caveat from Adair: Wittick posed many subjects with jewelry he carried himself, so not even the silver in the portrait can be assumed to be the smith's own work. If the provenance chain doesn't reach a documented collection, you are buying a story, not an attribution.
The best silversmith in the tribe
The superlatives around this smith are not modern dealer talk — they come from the earliest sources we have. The Franciscan Fathers, writing in 1909 while he was still living, called him "one of the best, if not the best silversmith in the tribe." Chee Dodge — first chairman of the Navajo Nation, his neighbor near Crystal, and the man who commissioned his finest pieces — went further: with Frank Walker, he called him "the greatest of all."
He was born into the founding generation. His eldest brother was Atsidi Sani, credited as the first Navajo silversmith; by Chee Dodge's account he learned the craft from another brother, Slender Old Silversmith. (Keep the brothers straight — Slender Maker of Silver and Slender Old Silversmith are two men, routinely confused. The Franciscans said he learned from Mexican smiths instead; Adair doubted it, and the honest answer is probably both channels, as was typical of the era.) The family name that came down from this Crystal lineage — Peshlakai — is simply the Navajo word for silver.
What he did with the craft was invent much of its vocabulary. Van Valkenburgh's field notes call him "the innovator of new forms and refinement," and his entry for Very Slim Silversmith gets specific: the first buckles, the first star-like buttons, the first flat-type bracelets — and the first turquoise set into a ring, made for Chee Dodge himself, at the very moment Navajo work was turning from plain wrought silver toward the stone-set tradition we know today. He also ran something no one else of his generation ran: a true shop, paying more than ten men — a production operation in 1880s–90s Navajo country, told to Adair by Fred Peshlakai and corroborated by Bedinger.
The c. 1885 Wittick photograph, held at the Museum of New Mexico, shows him draped in the classic era: hollow beads with a najahe, turquoise strands, silver earrings, a laced first-phase concha belt at his waist and a later solid-style belt across his lap.
His line did not end with him. Fred Peshlakai — his son, or by Adair's careful footnote possibly his nephew, since Navajo kinship uses one word for father and father's brother; the sources genuinely cannot resolve it — learned at his bench, and went on to teach Kenneth Begay at Fort Wingate. Slender Maker of Silver to Fred Peshlakai to Kenneth Begay: three names, one line, the whole first century of Navajo silver.
Field Notes by Mateo James
This page once gave "Peshlakai Atsidi" as another name for Slender Maker of Silver. Bedinger (1973) and the Franciscan Fathers (1910) show they were two different men, so that name has been removed here.
The Turnbaughs call Slender-Maker-of-Silver an apprentice of Atsidi Chon, and Bedinger's reading of Van Valkenburgh calls him Chon's pupil too. That sits beside Chee Dodge's account on this page, where he learned from his own brother. I have not tried to settle which teacher came first, and I show both.
This page credits Slender Maker of Silver with the first turquoise ring, made for Chee Dodge. In Adair's record the first setting goes to Atsidi Chon on Grey Moustache's word, and Matilda Coxe Stevenson credited an unnamed Navajo smith with a ring of about 1880. Adair added that such firsts hold only as far as an informant knew. I show the claims side by side.
This page once credited the list of firsts to Chee Dodge's testimony. In Van Valkenburgh's field notes as Woodward printed them, the firsts are in Van Valkenburgh's own entry for Very Slim Silversmith, which says Frank Walker and Chee Dodge called him the greatest of all silversmiths; the same entry says he learned the art from Ugly Smith. The text above now credits the entry.
Turnbaugh (2007, p. 43) gives the name Slender-Maker-of-Silver to Peshlakai Atsidi. Bedinger (1973, p. 18) treats them as two men, and Woodward (1946, p. 73) has Peshlakai Atsidi, shown a photograph, naming the smith in it as Slender Silversmith: one man identifying another. I follow the page in keeping them apart, and show Turnbaugh's usage as printed. [3] [1] [5]
Two books associate a Mexican smith with him. Bedinger (1973, p. 18) has Big-Lipped-Mexican instructing at Crystal in the 1870s and working with both brothers; the Fort Wingate statement Frank Walker took down, printed in Woodward (1946, p. 71), also names a Mexican associated with the two. Adair (1944, p. 22) wrote: "That he learned the craft directly from Mexicans is subject to doubt." [1] [5] [4]
From the Library
What 6 reference books say about Slender Maker of Silver, grouped by topic. Every passage names its book and page; full references are under Sources.
These are statements recorded by outside writers, and Navajo elders' recollections as Richard Van Valkenburgh and Mary Russell F. Colton wrote them down; the Diné are the authority on their own history.
His names, and who he was not3 passages · 3 books
The slender silversmith, and the man he is confused with.
Not the same man as Peshlakai Atsidi. According to Bedinger (1973, p. 18), Slender-Maker-of-Silver was a younger brother of Atsidi Sani who worked near Crystal and died in 1916; she describes Peshlakai Atsidi (pp. 20-22) separately, as a medicine man and smith born about 1850. The Franciscan Fathers (1910, p. 271) recorded his Navajo name as beshlagai il'ini altsosigi, "the slender silversmith." "Peshlakai" comes from the Navajo word for silver, and it became a family name in more than one lineage. [1]
Shown a National Museum photograph of a Navajo smith, Peshlakai Atsidi, in Woodward (1946),
“remembered his name as Peshlagai-ilim altsosigi (Slender Silversmith).”
Woodward (1946), p. 73 AS OF 1946 [5]
Schaaf (2003, p. 293) recorded Slender Maker of Silver as Navajo of Crystal, New Mexico, living from about 1850 to 1916 and active from about the 1870s in early hand-wrought, cold chisel and filework ingot silver, and as the father (or uncle) of Fred Peshlakai. [7]
His teachers5 passages · 3 books
A Mexican smith, Ugly Smith, or his own brother: the books name all three.
According to Bedinger (1973, p. 18), a Mexican smith known as Big-Lipped-Mexican instructed at Crystal in the 1870s and worked especially with two brothers, Slim-Old-Smith (also called Always-Hungry-Old-Smith) and Very-Slim-Maker-of-Silver (Slender-Maker-of-Silver), both of whom became outstanding silverworkers. [1]
A Fort Wingate statement taken down by Frank Walker, printed in Woodward (1946), names a Mexican teacher of the brothers:
“He was associated with Navajo smiths, particularly Slim Old Silversmith of Crystal and a brother, the famed Slim Silversmith.”
Woodward (1946), p. 71 AS OF 1946 [5]
On how he learned, Adair (1944) wrote:
“That he learned the craft directly from Mexicans is subject to doubt. Chee Dodge, who was a friend of his, says that he learned the art from his brother, Slender Old Silversmith.”
Adair (1944), p. 22 AS OF 1944 [4]
Bedinger (1973, p. 18) adds that Slender-Maker-of-Silver had another teacher, Ugly Smith (Atsidi Chon) of the Standing House clan, and that he made most of his pieces in the 1880s and 1890s, before commercialization; he died in 1916. [1]
Van Valkenburgh's entry for Very Slim Silversmith, in Woodward (1946), names his teacher:
“Learned the art from Ugly Smith.”
Woodward (1946), p. 65 AS OF 1946 [5]
The firsts, and the first turquoise6 passages · 4 books
What Van Valkenburgh credited him with, and the competing claims for the first stone set in silver.
Richard Van Valkenburgh's entry for Very Slim Silversmith (Very Slim Maker of Silver) of Crystal, as Woodward (1946) printed it, begins:
“Innovator of new forms and refinement of silversmithing, particularly active in the 1880-1890's.”
Woodward (1946), p. 65 AS OF 1946 [5]
The same entry lists his firsts, Woodward (1946):
“Made first buckles, star-like buttons, flat type bracelets, and made first turquoise set for ring, for Chee Dodge.”
Woodward (1946), p. 65 AS OF 1946 [5]
According to Turnbaugh (2007, p. 43), in 1880 either Atsidi Chon or his apprentice Peshlakai Atsidi, whom they also call Slender-Maker-of-Silver, was the first to set a turquoise stone in a silver bezel. [3]
On who set the first turquoise, Adair (1944) wrote:
“Although Grey Moustache said that Atsidi Chon was the first smith to set turquoise in silver, his testimony can not be taken as conclusive evidence.”
Adair (1944), p. 13 AS OF 1944 [4]
According to Adair (1944, p. 14), Matilda Coxe Stevenson, the government ethnologist at Zuni, reported that a Navajo smith presented her with a ring set with turquoise, which she took to be the first Navajo setting, about 1880. [4]
Schaaf (2003) quoted Van Valkenburgh's description of him as an
“innovator of new forms and refinement of silversmithing”
Schaaf (2003), p. 293 AS OF 2003 [7]
Work for Chee Dodge, and the teacher he became4 passages · 3 books
The pieces he made for his friend, and what he passed on.
Adair (1944) listed the work he made for Chee Dodge:
“Slender Maker of Silver made several pieces of jewelry for Chee Dodge. Among them are a tobacco canteen, a bridle, and a string of what are usually called squash-blossom beads.”
Adair (1944), p. 23 AS OF 1944 [4]
According to Adair (1944, p. 23), that squash-blossom strand was the only one Adair had seen with a row of blossoms facing inward as well as outward, and it carried two small najahe in addition to the large one at the bottom, features he took as signs of the smith's originality. [4]
Writing in 1993, Tryk described him as a teacher:
“He passed on his knowledge to his family and to any Indian artist who wanted to learn.”
Tryk (1993), p. 75 AS OF 1993 [6]
Schaaf (2003) wrote:
“He made a turquoise and silver ring for Chee Dodge”
Schaaf (2003), p. 293 AS OF 2003 [7]
Frequently asked questions
Does Slender Maker of Silver have a hallmark?
No. He died in 1916, before Navajo smiths marked their work, and no source documents any mark for him. His work is identified by provenance and oral history.
Who taught Slender Maker of Silver?
The books name three teachers. Bedinger and Van Valkenburgh's entry name Ugly Smith (Atsidi Chon). Chee Dodge told Adair it was his brother, Slender Old Silversmith. Bedinger and a Fort Wingate statement also associate a Mexican smith with the brothers; Adair wrote that his learning the craft directly from Mexicans was subject to doubt. [1] [5] [4]
Did Slender Maker of Silver set the first turquoise in silver?
Van Valkenburgh's entry credits him with the first turquoise set for a ring, made for Chee Dodge. Grey Moustache named Atsidi Chon, Matilda Coxe Stevenson credited an unnamed Navajo smith about 1880, and Turnbaugh says it was Atsidi Chon or his apprentice. [5] [4] [3]
Is Slender Maker of Silver the same man as Peshlakai Atsidi?
Bedinger treats them as two men, and this page follows her. Turnbaugh uses the name Slender-Maker-of-Silver for Peshlakai Atsidi. [1] [3]
Was Fred Peshlakai his son?
His son, or possibly his nephew: Adair notes that Navajo kinship uses one word for father and father's brother, and the sources cannot resolve it.
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.
Sources
- 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.
- Franciscan Fathers. An Ethnologic Dictionary of the Navaho Language. Saint Michaels, AZ: The Franciscan Fathers, 1910. Cited by printed page.
- Turnbaugh, William A., and Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh. Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest. Foreword by Barry M. Goldwater. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2007 (copyright 1996 and 2007; first published 1988). ISBN 0-7643-2577-9. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- 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.
- Woodward, Arthur. A Brief History of Navajo Silversmithing. With field notes by Richard Van Valkenburgh. Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin 14, 2d ed. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art, December 1946 (first edition 1938). Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1946.
- Tryk, Sheila. Santa Fe Indian Market: Showcase of Native American Art. Photography by Mark Nohl; introduction by Allan Houser. Santa Fe, NM: Tierra Publications, in cooperation with SWAIA (Southwestern Association on Indian Affairs), 1993. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1993.
- 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.
- Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths (1944), pp. 32–33, 51.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers (1973), pp. 17–19, 48.
- Franciscan Fathers. An Ethnologic Dictionary of the Navaho Language (1910), as quoted in Adair.
- Rosnek, Carl & Stacey, Joseph. Skystone and Silver (1976), Kenneth Begay section.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), timeline and Peshlakai entries.
Name-card placeholder — no authentic hallmark existed to recreate. © Turquoise Skies Inc.