Diné Silver Wide Cuff in Ketoh Style [SOLD]

This sterling silver cuff is a massive three inches wide and was designed in the style of a Ketoh. The ketoh design on the top has four repousse elements branching out from a central design of a pair of three diamond shaped feathers suspended from a central button design and a pair of V elements.

The sides of the cuff feature a pair of clouds straddling rain. Following the shape of the cuff's curved sides are stamped designs.

A ketoh is a bowguard worn on the left wrist as protection against the snap of the bowstring when releasing an arrow. The Navajo made bowguards from thick leather and attached a silver piece to adorn the top of the leather ketoh. "Most Navajo men still wear ketohs as ornaments, treasured especially for their masculine connotations. Ritually, also, ketohs have a place: During the summer rain-dances in the Hopi villages and at Zuni, the dancers wear bow-guards, which are an essential part of the dress of many of the Kachina dancers." [Bedinger, 1973:53]

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Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Diné Silver Wide Cuff in Ketoh Style is from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery

Reference: Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers by Margery Bedinger, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1973.

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Diné - Navajo Nation