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SPIRIT IN THE STONE
Chicken, horse, and other birds made of shell by Pedro Martinez Courtesy of Amerind Foundation, Dragoon, Arizona. Photo by Mark Bahti.
carve domesticated animals (sheep, cattle, chickens) with a single hole drilled in them. These were sold to some Zuni traders to be sold or traded back to the Zunis in the early spring for attaching to prayer offerings. His father, also known as Gogo, was apparently of Hopi and San Felipe heritage, and married into Zuni. He also carved in antler and decorated the work with paint. (See also page 108.) Harvey Harker (b. 1933) was born in the summer of 1933 and first
began carving around age eight while working at the family’s sheep camp. Then, as now, he carved primarily of antler and made serpents and birds. Entering adulthood, he went to work for the railroad and did not really resume carving until 2013. (Many carvers’ careers were interrupted at times by other work and activities.) Bird made of antler by Harvey Harker
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Kempsey Kushana (1918–1965) was carving bears for necklaces by the mid-1930s. He also carved turquoise leaves, as did his father, Kushana, and his daughters. Many, if not most, of their beautifully carved turquoise leaves were represented as the work of the heavily promoted Leekya, making them more saleable (and valuable) for the traders. He also carved small turquoise axe heads that were wound with silver wire for use as earrings.
3/17/16 8:48 PM