20s NAVAJO ASHTRAY WITH THUNDERBIRDS AND WHIRLING LOG
BRAND Navajo.
DESCRIPTION
A 1920s coin-silver ashtray handmade by the Navajo people.
Amazing stamped details (including whirling log and thunderbirds) and killer patina.
Extremely difficult to find such cool pieces nowadays in such beautiful condition.
In the Navajo culture the swastika or Whirling Log, represents well being, good luck and protection. It comes from the tale of the Whirling Log.
Until the late 1800s, when J. Lorenzo Hubbell and J.B. Moore opened their trading posts in Arizona and New Mexico, Navajos portrayed the swastika solely in their religious ceremonies in the form of sand paintings. But by 1896, with prodding by Hubbell and Moore, the symbol proliferated on Navajo rugs.
In 1940, in response to Hitler's regime, the Navajo, Papago, Apache and Hopi people signed a whirling log proclamation. It read, "Because the above ornament, which has been a symbol of friendship among our forefathers for many centuries, has been desecrated recently by another nation of peoples, therefore it is resolved that henceforth from this date on and forever more our tribes renounce the use of the emblem commonly known today as the swastika... on our blankets, baskets, art objects, sand paintings and clothing".
MATERIAL Navajo coin-silver (approximate weight 31 grams).
YEAR 1920s.
CONDITION Great vintage condition. Unpolished to preserve the very nice patina.
SIZE
Circumference - 9.5 inches
Diameter - 3 inches
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NOTES
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- Please bear in mind that vintage items might have holes and stains.
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