The first Native Americans of the Southwest to learn silver smithing were the Navajo, whose knowledge of silver came initially from the Spanish during the 1500s. It was not until 1870, however, that silver work really took hold in the American Southwest. After basing their technique on original Spanish methods, the Navajo began to adapt designs to incorporate traditional cultural meanings and their own sense of artistry.

During the 1880’s, Navajo silver smiths began setting stones in their pieces, specifically turquoise and other tribes such as the Zuni followed with their inlay style. For them, turquoise symbolized the sky and water and was associated with healing and protection. The American Southwest is an ideal environment for turquoise, which is a mineral generally found at higher elevations in semiarid regions.

After being marginalized as a culture due to Western expansion, native artists were able to use these locally mined stones and their skilled craftsmanship for monetary survival. Despite constraints on Native culture, jewelry design and innovation flourished.

Regarded as one of the great masters of Pueblo ceramics, Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001) is known for her trademark large black polished ceramics, decorated with traditional imagery of rain clouds, water serpents, bear paws, and other symbols. An award-winning artist, she was recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, and a National Heritage Fellowship.

Four Winds Gallery is proud to be a part of this amazing book written by Charles King. The gallery's Tafoya collection is featured in the book with stunning photographs by Pittsburgh photographer Duane Rieder. This collection will go on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History on October 3, 2008. Stay tuned for more detailed information. Visit our web site to purchase.

Perry shorty is a young Navajo jewelry maker who has found his niche in the classic period which began in the late 1920's and early 1930's. He's a stickler for quality and won't sacrifice it for quantity. He began making jewelry after working in a store in Gallup selling materials to artists and seeing what they were getting for their work. What started out as making a few extra dollars has become a career for this 43 year old Pentecostal preacher. He doesn't produce as much as he used to but spends more time preaching. See our web site for more of his work.