Man in the Maze Belt Buckle [SOLD]

The Man in the Maze motif appears frequently in the art of the American Southwest, most prominently in the art of the Tohono O'odham and Akimel O'odham. According to O'odham oral history, the labyrinth design represents life. At the beginning of life’s maze is birth.  After we are born, we embark on a journey towards the center of the maze or the sun, which represents our dreams and aspirations. Along this journey we are met with problems and must make decisions. The maze depicts the path of the experiences and choices individuals make in their journey through life moving towards the center. In the middle of the "maze," a person finds their dreams and goals. When one reaches the center, the individual has a final opportunity (the last turn in the design) to look back upon choices made and the path taken, before the Sun God greets us, blesses us and passes us into the next world.

Rick Manuel was born in Sacaton, Arizona, in 1950. He grew up on the Tohono O’odham reservation in the Santa Rosa Village.  He is registered with Gila River Pima through his mother and with the Tohono O’odham through his father. He is a self-taught artist. He began his silversmithing career in the 1970s. He uses the overlay technique usually associated with Hopi work. His designs often include desert scenes and petroglyph designs.

This exquisitely-made overlay buckle has the O’odham traditional Man in the Maze design. Manuel precisely cut the design in one piece of silver and overlaid it on a circular piece of oxidized silver. The life traveler stands at the beginning of the maze with a walking stick in hand, ready to face the joys and sorrows of life’s journey.

Condition: The Man in the Maze Belt Buckle is in excellent condition, with minor scratches from use

Provenance: From the estate of a former client who amassed a collection of 40 Native-made belt buckles.  We have posted 32 of them on our site and the remaining ones from the collection will be added as we receive them.

Recommended Reading: North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present by Margaret Dubin