Tuesday, August 19, 2014

I Sold My Thunderbird
















This Thunderbird is a one of a kind.  I made it in the early 2000's (I believe) and made the pottery a few years later.  Yesterday, this Thunderbird found a new home in New Hampshire.  One of these days, I will make another one, and possibly add a different stone.  This Thunderbird is sterling silver with an onyx triangular stone and setting.  I wore it a couple times for drum events and Pow Wow's.  I don't know if the Thunderbird is authentic to Native American ancestry.  Rather, it seems to be a creation for trading posts for souvenirs.  It was believed by the elders of the tribes that cultural artifacts should not be commercially sold....but at the same time young men and women in the tribe were advancing in their skills and abilities in silversmithing.  So....the Thunderbird may have been created to satisfy both the elders and Native Silversmiths, as well as the traders at the trading post. 

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