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<p>[QUOTE="Taupou, post: 3625474, member: 45"]I've debated all day whether to post about this item, since I don't want to "step on anyone's toes," or contradict respected members. On the other hand, though, I feel that out of respect for traditional Navajo craftspeople, the following should be considered.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, thank you to [USER=301]@komokwa[/USER], for pointing out that the stamp is a shop mark for Atkinson Trading Company. Shop-marked items, especially if they have no additional stamps or names, usually mean that there is no tribal affiliation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Trading companies can employ anyone. Even if they do hire Native American workers, the work is usually directed, in that the items made are not designed by the worker, but instead are produced to the specifications of the owner of the company. Bell Trading Company is a well-known example, and their products cannot be sold as "Native American."</p><p><br /></p><p>This is likely not Navajo, though, for several additional reasons. Most importantly, not all Native American tribes have the same customs or beliefs. Despite what one can read online, the bear is not universally the same symbol to all tribes. There simply is no "Native American tradition" when it comes to bears.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the Navajo, bears represent a spiritual guide, with supernatural powers. There are numerous taboos associated with them. In addition, many traditional Navajos believe they are ancestors of a sort. </p><p><br /></p><p>As a traditional Navajo jewelry maker explained to me, a true Navajo would never use bear claws in their work, since it would be "like cutting off your grandfather's fingers," and wearing them. Just working with them would also be very dangerous to the maker, and could result in "bear sickness," which would require a 9 day Mountainway Ceremony in an attempt to cure. </p><p><br /></p><p>Nevertheless, "bear claw" jewelry has been very popular in the Southwest, even if it is not Navajo- made. Other tribes don't have similar beliefs about bears. Plus in the 1970s, when Native American "style" was popular, hundreds of non-Indian craftspeople produced a lot of it for the "hippie" generation, and for tourists.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Taupou, post: 3625474, member: 45"]I've debated all day whether to post about this item, since I don't want to "step on anyone's toes," or contradict respected members. On the other hand, though, I feel that out of respect for traditional Navajo craftspeople, the following should be considered. First, thank you to [USER=301]@komokwa[/USER], for pointing out that the stamp is a shop mark for Atkinson Trading Company. Shop-marked items, especially if they have no additional stamps or names, usually mean that there is no tribal affiliation. Trading companies can employ anyone. Even if they do hire Native American workers, the work is usually directed, in that the items made are not designed by the worker, but instead are produced to the specifications of the owner of the company. Bell Trading Company is a well-known example, and their products cannot be sold as "Native American." This is likely not Navajo, though, for several additional reasons. Most importantly, not all Native American tribes have the same customs or beliefs. Despite what one can read online, the bear is not universally the same symbol to all tribes. There simply is no "Native American tradition" when it comes to bears. To the Navajo, bears represent a spiritual guide, with supernatural powers. There are numerous taboos associated with them. In addition, many traditional Navajos believe they are ancestors of a sort. As a traditional Navajo jewelry maker explained to me, a true Navajo would never use bear claws in their work, since it would be "like cutting off your grandfather's fingers," and wearing them. Just working with them would also be very dangerous to the maker, and could result in "bear sickness," which would require a 9 day Mountainway Ceremony in an attempt to cure. Nevertheless, "bear claw" jewelry has been very popular in the Southwest, even if it is not Navajo- made. Other tribes don't have similar beliefs about bears. Plus in the 1970s, when Native American "style" was popular, hundreds of non-Indian craftspeople produced a lot of it for the "hippie" generation, and for tourists.[/QUOTE]
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