Faces from the Pueblos:

"Zuni"

14 x 14 Original Pastel on Suede Painting

$579.00

Zuni is an original pastel painting based on a photograph taken in 1903 by Edward Curtis. It is custom-framed under non-reflective glass.

About the Zuni

The Zuni people call themselves the Ashiwi and are one of more than twenty independent communities making up the Pueblos of the Southwest. The name "pueblo" or "village" was given to them by Spanish explorers describing the adobe communities that filled the region.

It was fabulous reports of the exquisite jewelry made by craftsmen of the seven Zuni villages in northwest New Mexico that first inspired Coronado's search for the legendary "Seven Cities of Cibola." One traditional form of jewelry made by Pueblo peoples is "heishi," meaning "shell jewelry." Necklaces such as the one shown in this portrait were made from shell and semi-precious stones, often imported from the California coast or even South America, and ground into perfectly- shaped beads by Pueblo artisans. A single necklace can contain thousands of these beads. Heishi making is one of the oldest art forms in North America and is still practiced by expert Pueblo craftsmen today.

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