Navajo Turquoise and Heishi Two Strand Necklace c. 1960, 32" Long (J8401)

187.2g, 32" length. Acquired from a private collection out of Idaho. The owner inherited this through his family, parents and brother, who lived in the La Junta, Colorado. They collected mostly in the Santa Fe, Zuni, and Taos areas during the 1950s through to the 1990s. They also attended the Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremony annually. His brother was an artist and sometimes traded with Native Americans or purchased from them. He and his brother were both active boy scout members at the Koshare Indian Kiva in La Junta, Colorado, which took them all over the US (Kentucky, Washington, DC, Alabama, Mesa Verde, and Denver to name a few) to perform in Native American dance ceremonies. His brother was an active member from 1960 to 1997, later on being a leader of the organization, and he travelled often and even lived with Native people at times in different cities. The word "heishi" means "shell," although today it is often used to describe the cut style of beads that are small, flat, disc-shapes.