Necklace c. 20th century

Curator: Ah, this Pueblo necklace from around the 20th century, residing here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It’s crafted with metal and glass, a striking piece, isn't it? Editor: Immediately, it makes me think of water. Not just the colors – that gorgeous turquoise – but the way the beads cascade downward, like tiny rivulets converging. A sort of desert spring feeling. Curator: Yes! And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Turquoise is deeply significant in many Native American cultures. For the Pueblo people, it's connected to the sky, water, and spiritual well-being. Jewelry like this isn’t just adornment. Editor: Precisely, this necklace then is both decorative and powerful—bearing significant spiritual weight, especially for communities fighting for resource rights, especially over water, across the Southwest. Each bead holds a connection to cultural survival. Curator: Absolutely, you can almost imagine the hands that shaped each individual bead, infusing intention, prayers perhaps, into the making process. And I’m drawn to the variation in bead shape – it’s not uniform perfection, but something so much more alive and organic. Editor: Right, the seeming irregularity reflects, perhaps, the uneven power dynamics within colonial structures that attempt to categorize and control Indigenous art and artistry through a Western gaze focused on specific ideals of craft. It subtly resists imposed standards. Curator: I wonder about the woman who wore it, you know? The occasions, the stories this necklace silently witnessed. Was it worn during ceremonies, or gifted at a wedding, or perhaps everyday in simple reverence of beauty? Editor: Yes, it's easy to muse about its individual significance in a singular lifetime, but thinking beyond an isolated piece, the Pueblo have long used jewelry as a form of resistance—linking art directly to issues of sovereignty and identity. The beauty serves as testament and declaration. Curator: In a way, each object holds a multitude of stories, doesn't it? Not just the history of its making but echoes of its life interwoven within the grand narrative of its culture. Editor: Agreed, looking closely at the materials and cultural context urges us to broaden and deepen our understandings, bridging histories with current realities, celebrating the Pueblo people, and supporting the safeguarding of vital artistic traditions.