Joey
Allen, Navajo - Sterling Silver and Turquoise | ||||||
18 beautiful turquoise stones, one large and 17 smaller.
3 inches wide.
Supple and durable leather.
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Paula says - "Ketohs are very adjustable. You can punch more holes in the leather to make the cuff smaller and then either overlap the leather or cut off the excess. To make the cuff larger you can use the laces provide to open up the cuff or you can add longer laces if necessary. "We use the term "wrist" when talking about size but since ketohs are so wide, they actually fit up onto the lower portion of the forearm, so you will need to take that into consideration.
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What is a Bow Guard or Ketoh?The bow guard originated as a heavy wrist band used to protect an archer's arm from the snap of the bow string. At first it was a plain thick leather strap. Later other stiff materials such as metal were added. Navajo began making bow guards are early as 1895. The Navajo bow guard is called a ketoh. It consists of a metal plate affixed to a leather wrist or arm piece. Today decorated ketohs
and Plains Indian beaded wrist guards are worn mainly for ceremonial and social
occasions, including dancing at pow wows. There has been a recent surge in popularity
of bow guards as a jewelry item for both men and women. |
