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Ketoh (Wrist Guard/Bow Guard) by Chooke

by May club 02 Sep 2015 0 Comments

( The Two Prayers -Detail- Artist David Joaquin )

The earliest Navajo Indians were very dependent on hunting. They had a kind of leather protective gear, worn on the wrist to protect the rebound of the bow string and to tighten the loose cuffs. The Navajo people called it Ketoh, and ordinary people called it Wrist Guard or Bow. Guard

After being colonized by the Spanish army at the end of the 16th century, they learned textiles from the Spaniards and later learned silvermaking techniques from the Mexicans. They applied them to leather goods, which not only gave the wearer more protection, but also added decoration. role

At the beginning of the 19th century, after the Indians were oppressed by whites and the U.S. military, and were forced to move to reservation areas, hunting activities decreased significantly. Ketoh also gradually evolved into a real decorative ornament. With the influence of the westward expansion movement, With the laying of railroads and the rapid development of trade, the traditional silver jewelry and textiles of the Navajo Indians have become popular among travelers. Please refer to the article Fred Harvey Style

The Indians also began to trade hard-to-obtain food or silver textile raw materials through barter. Indian silver jewelry also extended to more different styles, including Bracelet, Buckle, Concho and Ketoh and so on, this is a transformation of the Indians' life and even their clothes into decorations.

Some of the compositions, shapes, and printing on Navajo silver jewelry are closely related to their myths and languages. Although the myths of the Navajo people have several versions because they were passed down orally by their ancestors, in fact, the world view is similar: basically Divided into four worlds, the important characters are Begochiddy (son of the sun), the first male & first female, Vulcan, Salt Girl, Coyote, and then add four colors, black, white, yellow and blue to describe it, for those who are interested Friends can click on the following link to learn about Navajo’s creation myth:

(Some pictures are taken from the Internet, please inform us if there is any infringement)

The fascinating thing about Navajo silver jewelry is its profound culture, with unique totems and prints. Designs like Ketoh have symbolic meanings. Generally speaking, they refer to the structure of the creation myth, and the center point is usually the Navajo people. Coming to this sacred place in the world, the four radiating corners represent the four world views or the four colors or the four sacred mountains, corn seeds and sprouts, as well as men and women, etc. Navajo totems will also have their own expressions and meanings. Take a look at Chooke's works. !

Chooke takes Ketoh as its inspiration and significantly reduces the original width of more than 10cm to 2.3cm, which is suitable for modern decorative bracelets. The leather part uses Chromexcel tea core leather produced by Horween, a world-renowned century-old tannery, and also uses ancient Indian materials. The practice of melting silver coins to make a silver plate. The silver chrysanthemum nails on both sides are also made of silver coins.

Each different print has its own meaning, which is explained by Chooke's experience and experience. It has a rich visual sense, and because each one is hand-made, each one is unique.

Click on the product for a more complete introduction~

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