SALE FOR 1 BOLO-EACH PRICED ACCORDINGLY-IN THE LAST PHOTO IS ANOTHER BOLO THAT I WILL SOON LIST & WAS MADE BY COLLECTIBLE ZUNI ARTIST-EDDIE BEYUKA!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Shirley Benn Nampeyo (1936-) is Hopi-Tewa by heritage but lived and worked at Zuni Pueblo after marrying into the Zuni community when she wed Virgil Benn.

Shirley comes from a lineage of well known artisans and happens to be the great-granddaughter of the renowned potter Nampeyo; the granddaughter of Annie Healing; the niece of Rachel Namingha Nampeyo; and the daughter of Daisy Hooee. She is the sister of Louella Naha Inote and Raymond Naha, and the wife of Virgil Benn. She was especially active from 1950 to 1980. She is known for her pottery and jewelry that is made with her phenomenal picturesque mosaic inlay art.

Collaborating with his wife, Virgil was born in the 1930’s and is from the Zuni Pueblo and has been active since the 1950’s.

Together, they have taken home numerous awards, and there’s not much they don’t enjoy designing or creating. They both share a love for designing a wide range of pieces, especially Kachinas, animals, buckles, and necklaces, as well as the Maiden women figures for which Shirley’s work is particularly known.

You truly have to be a real artist to create this type of impeccable work, and also be a highly skilled lapidarian. Their precise, careful workmanship doesn’t come overnight, but is the result of years of practice and dedication to reach the level they have achieved. Rather than using canvas, brushes, and paints like actual painters, they draw from our earth’s colorful natural resources by using various colored stones, shells, and minerals — to create these painted-like pieces of jewelry that beautifully emulate a fine painted masterpiece.

The influence they have from working together by creating these lapidary works of art will go down in history as some of the finest mosaic inlay artisans to come out of Zuni. Their pieces are highly collectible and because of the exceptional skill and artistry involved, owning anything from these top‑notch artists is more like collecting fine art than simply acquiring jewelry. Their work isn’t just jewelry, but rather the epitome of “TRUE” art that is designed in shell-stone-metal form!

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ABOUT THE APACHE GAAN DANCER:

Purpose: The dance is performed to invoke the Mountain Spirits to cure illness, protect against enemies, and to mark important life transitions—such as the Sunrise Ceremony for young women—bringing communal healing, guidance, and renewal.

Symbolism & Attire: Dancers wear wooden headdresses (crowns) adorned with symbols of nature — the sun, moon, and lightning — and in some instances the Apache cross, each element carrying cultural meaning. Their regalia includes black masks, buckskin skirts, and rows of bells that accentuate movement, while many also paint their bodies with white clay as part of the ceremonial expression.

The Group: The group includes four dancers symbolizing the cardinal directions and a fifth member, the "clown," who carries and swings a bull-roarer—a length of wood tied to a string—to ritualistically drive away evil spirits.

Ritual & Protocol: The dancers are forbidden to speak during the performance, communicating only through their props and movement. It is regarded as a sacred, often private ceremony, and observers are traditionally advised to refrain from photographing, touching, or otherwise interrupting the performers out of respect for the ritual.

Please view all the photos for detail! Including weights, measurements, any & all specifics, etc.(Photos 1 through 22)

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ABOUT THE ‘OWL KACHINA’:

Key Meanings and Roles:

Wisdom and Intelligence: The Owl (Mongwa) represents deep knowledge and foresight.

Agricultural Protection: Known for keeping fields free of rodents, the Owl Kachina helps ensure a bountiful harvest.

Disciplinarian: In ceremonies, the Owl Kachina may be called upon to discipline or "knock sense into" unruly clowns (clown dancers).

Symbolism: It is often associated with hunting, fertility, and acting as a teacher or warrior figure.

Cultural Significance:

Hopi Tradition: As a kachina spirit it is, along with other types, given to children to teach them about their spiritual beliefs.

Please view all the photos for detail! Including weights, measurements, any & all specifics, etc.(Photos 23 through 40)

CONDITION: These are Vintage but have been very well kept & all are in excellent condition! I do not have details as to what the interior of the sellers house was-No chipped, cracked or missing stones, sterling is dark with natural patina.

Will come protected & boxed well!

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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:
Anything with a high price tag, will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement (reflected in shipping price).. If you're not home in the day & need it shipped where it can be signed for,please change that in your "Ship To" section before I create the shipping label***I'm sorry if this may be an inconvenience, but I do not ship expensive pieces without one. This is for your safety & mine.

PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
I do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try my hardest to give you photos that are 'realistic" in color. Please realize that all monitors are different, so the materials can look more vivid (or duller) from one computer to the next.

To give you close up photos,pictures tend to make the item look much more larger & everything is more magnified than in actuality. So to get an accurate idea of how big these, please either check it out being worn on the mannequin to get a rough idea (see photos) or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements above.