I was in Zuni on Saturday to meet with a collector who has lived in the village for several years. After our meeting, we got into his car, and he gave me a tour. It had been a long time, and it was a trip down memory lane.
Zuni has undergone significant changes since the 1970s and 80s, when I worked with Kay Tinnin, a wonderful man and mentor who would often purchase jewelry for us. He lived in a trailer on the edge of the village. I'd drive down from Durango, and we'd head out to the various silversmiths' homes.
He spoke Zuni as well as a Native and was highly regarded by the people in the village. He was certainly known as the best jewelry buyer in Zuni. Sometimes, we would visit people who had jewelry made, and sometimes I would receive requests for work from specific artists.
The best inlay artists in the village were a husband-and-wife team, Dennis and Nancy Edadkie. They were at the top of the Indian jewelry world back then with their beautiful inlaid silver and gold work featuring all kinds of birds, from Red Birds to Roadrunners. Everyone wanted their work. One store owner that we did business with from Boise, Idaho, Hugh Angleton, got a little frustrated because he could not buy their work from us or anyone else, so he flew to Gallup, rented a car, and drove to Zuni, where, after a couple of hours, he found their house.
He told me, "They were such very nice and welcoming people. We had a wonderful visit, and Dennis said he would send me some of his jewelry. He never did, but I was happy I went to meet them."
I never had any luck, either! I finally bought a Roadrunner Bolo tie from a store called White Eyes in Arcadia, California. I still have it.
Dennis had given up a real job in the early '60s and started making jewelry. His father, Meryl, had been a silversmith for famed trader C.G. Wallace, and Dennis learned the craft by watching his dad. In 1970, Leon Ingram, a well-known trader from Gallup whom my dad affectionately called "Gold Finger" because of all the gold jewelry he wore, recognized Dennis's talent and encouraged him to start inlaying animal images in silver jewelry.
The technique requires that the artist first cut a piece of silver and then, using a diamond saw, cut out the animal's outline. Then, the silver is soldered to another piece with a backing, and stones and shells are cut to fit the opening. It sounds simple, but to do it well takes a master jeweler. Nancy eventually did most of the inlay work, but Dennis was the master with the saw.
It is similar to Hopi jewelry except that, instead of inlaying stones and shells in the opening, the Hopi artists stamp the open area and then oxidize and darken it to create a contrast. Once, at Hopi Crafts in Oraibi on the Hopi reservation, I watched a man cut out a pattern and asked if I could try it. It looked simple. I ruined the piece of silver in about 10 seconds!
Dennis's work with the saw blade and their inlay work was always precise!
He and Nancy are credited with creating the spinner necklace, which has an inlay design on both sides of a domed silver circle. Edaakie credited Leon and Ruth Ingram for the idea, but he made it work.
We drove past the Edaakie house on Saturday, bringing back many memories. Their work is exceptional, and no one has done it better! Nancy is still alive but is no longer making jewelry, and their four sons are still active.
These pieces by Dennis and Nancy Edaakie are beautiful jewelry and represent a time in history when Zuni jewelry was daily pushing the boundaries of creativity.
