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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 534309, member: 2844&quot;]There is a whole world of right and wrong reasons behind all that, ranging from preservation of identity on the one side to neo-colonialism and a whole lot of ugly terms on the other.</p><p><br /></p><p>I, as a European with a very mixed cultural background, have often wondered how much of Native identity actually goes into pieces made for the tourist industry using Art Nouveau (Navajo) and Art Deco (Zuni) styles, both of which styles originated in Europe. Those styles were introduced by &#039;Anglos&#039;.</p><p><br /></p><p>Squash blossoms are based on Spanish pomegranate pendants of Middle Eastern origin, the naja (crescent shape) is a direct copy of European lunar pendants which can be traced back to European pre-history.</p><p>I am not talking techniques, but styles, and ask myself who is copying who? If you were to show this necklace to someone in 16th century Middle East, he could be excused to think it was locally made.</p><p>Many people here in Europe don&#039;t even recognize a lot of SW NA jewellery as Native American. They certainly have no idea why it should be so much more expensive than European jewellery made in similar Art Nouveau and Deco derived styles with the same weight of silver etc.</p><p>It is different with things like Hopi overlay or inlaid shells of course, or NW Coast jewellery, those are recognizably NA, as is some other NA jewellery. But how much was started by the Hopi and Zuni themselves, and how much by advancement projects or concerned &#039;Anglo&#039; traders?</p><p>And then there are silversmiths like Sicilian born Frank Patania, who had such an influence on SW NA jewellery. I am sure most NA silversmiths would not have wanted to miss his valuable contribution to their art.</p><p><br /></p><p>The way I see it, as an outsider, both NA and non-NA have been influencing one another for a very long time in the Southwest. But only one side is allowed to use the art they both grew up with. If the other side uses the same imagery that has been part of their lives since birth, they are wrong.</p><p>I know many of you don&#039;t agree, so be it. Sometimes it is good to read an outside view. In this case the view of someone who has some knowledge of NA art, history and culture.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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