by Steven Onida
Native American culture has taken the world by storm over the past few years, proving that contemporary artists can thrive in the world of art, in general. However, the team at NativeAmericanJewelry.com is looking to push this even further by showing people what Native American art truly means.
The company has stood as a platform for Native artists to showcase their work to the public, imbibing a new generation with the ideals and history of Native American culture and history.
NativeAmericanJewelry.com spokesman, Steven Onida, commented, "It’s our firm belief that when the general public learns more about Native culture, they learn more about being an American. When you learn the history and culture that’s impacted our country in such a profound way, you’ll have a greater respect for the country as a whole. When we think about Native art, we typically think the traditional sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, decorative pottery, and Kachina dolls. What people don’t see is the inlay snake symbol, coiled around the stone, symbolizing healing, rebirth, and a general charm of good luck. People tend to miss the importance of symbolism, the meaning behind each piece. We’re here to fill in that gap."
Onida and his team are committed to providing talented artists with a platform in which people can interact with the finer details of Native American art.
Onida added, “Using one of our pieces as an example, Zuni artist George Phillip’s made a stunning corn stalk Kokopelli pendant, there’s a great deal of meaning in this work that American audiences would usually miss. Most people that live in the Southwest might be familiar with Kokopelli. He’s everywhere. Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player. His outline can be seen in museums, on city street decorum, and all over the Southwest, but people don’t usually take the time to appreciate the meaning. This piece shows Kokopelli with a stock of corn. These two symbols come together to form something completely new. Corn is a common symbol that generalizes crops, corn being the most abundant crop grown by the Native peoples. This combination of symbols can be interpreted to bring the wearer a bountiful crop or good fortune in a modern translation. This is just one small example. Almost every Native American piece tells a story, you simply have to listen.”
The team at NativeAmericanJewelry.com is proud to release a new set of jewelry that prominently features these symbols. Anyone interested in learning more about interpretations, symbolism, and history, can also find them on NAJ’s website, here.
Among the many new pieces, people will have the chance to purchase bear symbol jewelry, to provide strength and courage, water wave pieces to bring life and good health, and wolf jewelry to embrace their positive features like loyalty, compassion, and fearlessness.
