Eugene B. Adkins Collection
IMAGE
Eugene B. Adkins created one of the premier collections of art of the American Southwest. The University of Oklahoma is pleased to be working with the Eugene B. Adkins Foundation and the Philbrook Museum of Art to encourage research and preservation of this important part of our nation’s cultural history. A native Oklahoman, Eugene Brady Adkins had deep roots in Tulsa, where his grandfather, W. Tate Brady, operated the Brady Hotel, one of the city’s first. He was a civic leader and early advocate for the Tulsa Public Schools. Eugene Adkins earned a degree in art history at Dartmouth College and graduate degrees in business at Stanford University. He frequently spent summers in Santa Fe, which kindled the lifelong interest in the American Southwest that fostered his important collection of Native American art and that of the Santa Fe and Taos art colonies. He was a keen judge of artistic merit and had an encyclopedic knowledge of his collection’s artists and their cultural roots. The University of Oklahoma has a rich heritage in studying and supporting the art of the American Southwest, beginning with the arrival of art professor Oscar Jacobson in 1915. Jacobson developed numerous relationships with the art colonies in Santa Fe and Taos and with the Native American artists of the region. This… exhibition of the Eugene B. Adkins Collection continue[s] the university’s commitment to this artistic heritage. – OU President David L. Boren (1994–2018), excerpted from foreword to The Eugene B. Adkins Collection: Selected Works (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2011)
FRED JONES JR.
MUSEUM OF ART
The UNIVERSITY of OKLAHOMA
555 Elm Ave. Norman, OK 73019–3003 fjjma.ou.edu | @fjjma
This publication, printed by the University of Oklahoma Printing Services, is issued by the University of Oklahoma. 1,000 copies have been prepared and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of the State of Oklahoma.
Native American Jewelry Collection Eugene B. Adkins Collection Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
Eugene B. Adkins Native American Jewelry Collection Jewelry, silverwork, and carved fetishes compose the single largest category of art, Native or non-Native, in the Adkins Collection. This jewelry collection is also one of the single largest ever amassed, rivaling that of famed trader C. G. Wallace as well as those of the Fred Harvey Company and School of American Research. Not only is this grouping large, it is also diverse and contains pieces of exquisite craftsmanship, creativity, and historical significance. Although most of the work in the collection can be categorized as jewelry meant to be worn as adornment (bracelets, necklaces and pendants, rings, pins, earrings, buckles), the collection also features various types of objects and serviceware, including teapots, trays, and boxes. Many of the pieces represent distinctive cultural traditions developed by Southwestern jewelers in the late 1800s and passed on through the generations. Other pieces highlight the bold innovations that characterized the modern era of Native design in the 1960s and ‘70s ... Adkins continued collecting into the early twenty-first century, purchasing pieces from the next generation of innovators, who carried on the tradition of experimentation established by [Charles] Loloma and others. – Christina E. Burke, excerpted from “Tradition and Innovation,” The Eugene B. Adkins Collection: Selected Works (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2011)
Tradition
For more than 10,000 years, Native Americans in the Southwest have made jewelry as a form of personal adornment and spiritual expression. The earliest materials included stones, seashells, and animal bones or teeth, which were often strung into necklaces or earrings. Local resources were shared over trade routes spanning great distances. As a result, oyster, conch and clam shells, mother of pearl, and abalone have been important trade goods in the Southwest for more than a thousand years. As tribal contact with colonial silversmiths expanded across the continent, new styles emerged. By the 1800s, Native silversmiths established what has become known as “traditional” styles with tribally-distinctive designs and handling of materials. During the 1920s, artists began applying hallmarks—a form of signature—to their jewelry.
1 Harrison Jim (U.S., Navajo, b. ca. 1970); Pin, n.d.; silver and turquoise 2 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Bracelet, ca. 1900–1920; silver 3 Raymond Sakeva (U.S., Hopi); Bracelet, n.d.; manassa turquoise and silver 4 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Bracelet, 1949.; silver and turquoise 5 Wolf Robe Hunt (U.S., Acoma Pueblo, 1905–1977); Earrings, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and coral 6 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Pin, n.d.; silver and turquoise 7 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Pin, n.d.; silver, turquoise 8 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Pin, n.d.; silver 9 Johnny Mike Begay (U.S., Navajo, d. 1976); Bracelet, n.d.; silver and turquoise 10 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Belt Buckle, 1910; silver and turquoise 11 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Belt Buckle, n.d; silver and turquoise 12 Leroy Kewanyama (U.S., Hopi, b. 1958); Spoon, n.d.; silver 13 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Bracelet, n.d.; silver and turquoise (pictured above) 14 Delbridge Honanie (U.S., Hopi, b. 1946); Earrings, n.d.; wood, silver, turquoise, and shell
Innovation Many Native artists began challenging the boundaries of what defined Native American art in the mid-twentieth century. Silversmiths participated in the dialogue by experimenting with new materials and techniques and by developing unique styles that set a standard for both craftsmanship and innovation. Charles Loloma (Hopi), Preston Monongye (Mission [adopted Hopi]), Kenneth Begay (Navajo), and others used new materials and created innovative forms. International travel led these artists to see parallels between modern art and their tribes’ traditional aesthetics. Back at home in their tribal communities, they worked to expand perceptions of jewelry as an art form.
Symbolism Designs, colors, and materials used by Native jewelers reflect the philosophies and worldviews of their communities. Symbols and icons present in Native jewelry often reference plants or animals and are best interpreted through oral narratives or songs. Often, deities or mythical figures from tribal creation stories are represented by abstractions of their faces or figures. When artists use any portion of these symbols in their art, the reference is considered as powerful as a representation of the entire figure.
Materials
When Native artists first began choosing materials to work with, they often selected local materials that were coded with meaning from their community’s creation stories. For example, the Navajo tribal history teaches that stone appears with First Woman and becomes the source of fire. For many Native artists, working with natural materials helps them to express and continue cultural beliefs.
1 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Bracelet, n.d.; silver and turquoise 1 Richard Henry Yazzie (U.S., Navajo); Spoons n.d.; silver and turquoise
1 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Pin, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and onyx
2 Joy Hanley (U.S., Navajo, n.d.); Bracelet, n.d.; gold tone metal and turquoise (pictured above)
2 J. B. Platero (U.S., Navajo); Earrings, n.d.; silver and turquoise
2 Preston Monongye (U.S., Mission [adopted Hopi], 1927–1987); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, turquoise, coral, and onyx
3 Unknown (U.S., Santo Domingo Pueblo); Pendant, n.d.; silver, spiny oyster shell, turquoise, mother-of-pearl, and onyx
3 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Pin, n.d.; silver and inlaid stones
4 Kenneth Begay (U.S., Navajo, 1913–1977); Box Lid, n.d.; silver and turquoise
4 Bernard Dawahoya (U.S., Hopi, 1936–2010); Overlay Bracelet with “Migration” Pattern, ca. 1970s; silver
4 Unknown (U.S., Hopi); Bolo Tie, n.d.; carved and painted wood figure, leather, and silver
5 Ramone Platero (U.S., Navajo, 1930-2003); Bracelet, n.d.; silver and turquoise
5 Charles Loloma (U.S., Hopi, 1921–1991); Corn Maid Necklace, ca. 1970s; leather, silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, and ironwood
5 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Necklace, n.d.; silver and turquoise
3 Charles Loloma (U.S., Hopi, 1921–1991); Snake Pin, ca. 1974; silver, turquoise, coral, and malachite (pictured on cover)
6 Michael Kabotie (Lomawywesa) (U.S., Hopi, 1942–2009); Belt Buckle, 1981; silver and turquoise 7 Kenneth Begay (U.S., Navajo, 1913–1977); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and coral (pictured on inside panel) 8 Preston Monongye (U.S., Mission [adopted Hopi], 1927–1987); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, turquoise, onyx, mother-of-pearl, coral, and green stone 9 Elliot Qualo (U.S., Zuni Pueblo, 1929–1970s); Belt-Inlay Tortoise Shell with Devil Dancer, ca. 1967; leather, silver, turquoise, tortoise shell, coral, and abalone shell 10 Charles Loloma (U.S., Hopi, 1921–1991); Belt Buckle, ca. 1970s; silver, lapis lazuli, ironwood, coral, turquoise, wood, and stone 11 Preston Monongye (U.S., Mission [adopted Hopi], 1927–1987); Pendant, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and coral (pictured above) 12 Phillip Loretto (U.S., Jemez/Cochiti Pueblo, b. 1951); Ring, n.d.; silver, turquoise, bone, and coral 13 Lewis Lomayesa (U.S., Hopi, 1914–1996); Ring, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and coral
6 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Bolo Tie, n.d.; silver, leather, turquoise, onyx, coral, shell, mother-of-pearl, and abalone shell 7 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Frog Fetish, n.d.; spiny oyster shell and turquoise 8 Unknown (U.S., Hopi); Belt Buckle, n.d.; silver overlay 9 Unknown (U.S., Hopi); Ring, n.d.; silver, turquoise, onyx, and coral 10 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Belt Buckle, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and coral 11 Unknown (unknown); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, olivine, and coral 12 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Pin, n.d.; silver and inlaid stones 13 Unknown (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Frog Fetish, n.d.; serpentine and spiny oyster shell 14 Nick and Theresa Luhela (U.S., Zuni Pueblo); Earrings, n.d.; silver and turquoise
6 Unknown (U.S., unknown); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, turquoise, ironwood, ivory, and sinew (pictured on left) 7 Charles Loloma (U.S., Hopi, 1921–1991); Ring, n.d.; silver and turquoise 8 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, coral, and turquoise 9 Unknown, (U.S., Santo Domingo Pueblo); Pendant, n.d.; spiny oyster shell, turquoise, onyx, abalone, scallop shell, silver, and stone 10 Ted Charveze (U.S., Isleta Pueblo, 1936-1990); Bracelet, n.d.; silver, turquoise, and onyx 11 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Earrings, n.d.; silver 12 Unknown (U.S., Navajo); Belt Buckle, 1930; silver and turquoise