The Project Gutenberg EBook of Navajo Silversmiths, by Washington Matthews

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Title: Navajo Silversmiths
Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1880-1881,
Government Printing Office, Washington, 1883, pages 167-178

Author: Washington Matthews

Release Date: December 10, 2005 [EBook #17275]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION--BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY.

NAVAJO SILVERSMITHS.

BY

Dr. WASHINGTON MATTHEWS, U.S.A.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATE XVI. Objects in silver 172
XVII. Navajo workshop 175
XVIII. Crucible, and Sandstone molds for
shaping silver objects 175
XIX. Objects in silver 177
XX. Navajo Indian with silver ornaments 178

NAVAJO SILVERSMITHS.

BY WASHINGTON MATTHEWS.

Among the Navajo Indians there are many smiths, who sometimes forge iron
and brass, but who work chiefly in silver. When and how the art of
working metals was introduced among them I have not been able to
determine; but there are many reasons for supposing that they have long
possessed it; many believe that they are not indebted to the Europeans
for it. Doubtless the tools obtained from American and Mexican traders
have influenced their art. Old white residents of the Navajo country
tell me that the art has improved greatly within their recollection;
that the ornaments made fifteen years ago do not compare favorably with
those made at the present time; and they attribute this change largely
to the recent introduction of fine files and emery-paper. At the time of
the Conquest the so-called civilized tribes of Mexico had attained
considerable skill in the working of metal, an