Ken Bill Navajo Sterling Silver
Peaked Coup Bracelet - Medium
Handmade sterling silver Navajo Bracelet crafted by Navajo artist Ken Bill.
Size | Large
size would be suitable for a man or a woman. |
Circumference (inside end-to-end) | 5
3/4" |
Gap
(between ends) | 1 1/4" |
Width
(at widest point) | 3/8"
|
Weight | 45 grams |
Hallmarks
(stamped on back) | KEN
BILL NAVAJO STERLING |
Fish tail ends make for a more comfortable fit.
A traditional coup design in a very substantial bracelet. Rather than being flat, the surface of this bracelet is peaked.
Navajo
Sterling Silver
Coup Bracelet C, Large
$135.00
plus s/h (insurance included)
Coup
Coup - comes from the French and is pronounced "coo". The dictionary definition of coup is a successful stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment. To an Indian, coup usually mean "war count". But coup is also thought of as an "honor count" or measure of bravery.
Coup can range from a well-spoken word, an honorable deed, stealing an enemy's horse, to a slap or strike with a stick to killing and scalping an enemy.
Western
gunfighters also used a system of marking coup by carving notches in the
handle of their guns for every man they killed.
Indian coup is counted and
kept track of by making marks on a stick or bow or personal adornments or painting
marks on one's horse. Feathers were given for coup and were used singly in the
hair, on staffs or in bonnets. Bear claws were also given as coup to be
used in necklaces.
Whether the Navajo silversmiths were thinking of Coup when they made these bracelets years ago is unknown, but they are some of the first types of silver bracelets they made - often using a cold chisel and hammer to strike the lines into the face of the bracelet.