Commemorate Native American Heritage Month

Concho belts are my favorite Native American Jewelry Art

 

A full-blooded Native-American co-worker sold me a cute bead necklace of turquoise chips and matching woven earrings designed with glass seed beads.  Her sister crafted the jewelry.

 

In another instance, I purchased a turquoise chip necklace at a train stop on a Reservation while traveling  to a vacation in California.

 

Buying this jewelry was an honor.

The necklaces and earrings are not ornate like the expensive artisan Native American jewelry sold at jewelry boutiques for hundreds, even $1000s of dollars.

But take it from an African-American, any and all artistic efforts to maintain a peoples’ culture are valiant, no matter how small.

Yes, November is National Native American Heritage Month.  A month is not enough.

 There are many, many websites that sell authentic tribal jewelry crafted by Native American artists. Online stores  are worth a look to get the depth and breath of this cultural craft.

 But I usually shop for Native American jewelry at art fairs. It's one way that I commemorate Native American tribes.   I pause for a moment to ponder their art and culture of tribal jewelry making.