Art
Tafoya, Yaqui - Sterling Silver | ||||||
Turquoise Mountain spiderweb turquoise.
3 1/2" at front tapering to 3 1/4" at ends. 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. |
About Turquoise MountainAlthough located near the Kingman Mine in Mohave County, Arizona, the Turquoise Mountain Mine has stones different in appearance from other Kingman area turquoise. Also known as Old Man Turquoise its color varies from light to high blue to blue-green and has often been found with a golden or rust colored spider webbing. The mine has produced "birdseye" stones that show areas of light blue circled with dark blue matrix, resembling the eye of a bird .The mine was closed in the 1980s. About Spiderweb Turquoise Spiderweb is a term used to describe turquoise that looks like a spiderweb. It is not associated with any one mine, but many mines, some of the most notable being Kingman, Number 8, Lander Blue, Lone Mountain, Candelaria and others. Read more about spiderweb turquoise . . . |
