Zuni and Its Beauty Kenneth Maxymowich

ZUNI AND ITS BEAUTY

By Kenneth Maxymowich

At this time of year Zuni is a very special place to be! Driving through the Pueblo you can see people cleaning their yards for the upcoming Shalako. This week especially, women are cooking for the men working in the Shalako homes. Smoke is in the air as outdoor ovens are stoked and being used daily.

The middle village is especially busy as Thanksgiving is just days before Shalako this year. For the fourth year in a row Shalako will be closed to

outsiders. Speaking of the middle village, there is so much Zuni art still being created here today. Carvings, pottery, beadwork, kachina dolls and especially jewelry is designed and worked on every single day. One special Lady silversmith is Sara Edaakie. I’ve been in love with her butterflies since the moment

I saw one many years ago now. Her incredibly colorful and delicate butterflies are so easily recognized. Each one is created so specially in their own way.

Sara still lives in the middle

Sara Edaakie

village just steps away from where she was raised as a little girl. Growing up in Zuni, Sara was raised by her parents the late Theodore Edaakie Sr. and the late Margaret Edaakie. Both of her parents created jewelry together. When not making jewelry with her husband, Margaret Edaakie

worked on her beadwork creating dolls, pendants and pin cushions. Margaret was a patient woman, loving all her children and great grandchildren. Margaret was a foster Grandparent for the schools in Zuni where she donated her time volunteering to help in the classrooms.

Sara’s father Theodore Edaakie is so very well known for his incredible inlaid jewelry. Growing up, Sara says her father was always a patient man. He would never be angry with his children. If one would make a mistake, he would gather the family together and lecture them as a whole and he would preach to them about the traditional ways and share his knowledge of his upbringing. Growing up in Zuni, Sara tells me “Everyone in the village believed in our traditional ways and we were all brought up with our religious practices.” Sara says growing up with her father was always busy as he was a councilman for the Pueblo of Zuni serving 8 years in that position. He also became Lt. Governor for the Pueblo of Zuni where he served 4 years in that position alongside Governor Robert Lewis.

It was Sara’s Father and Mother that taught her how to do her silverwork and inlay when she was near 19 years old. The butterfly design and pattern that Sara is famous for today comes from her father. She says her dad designed the pattern and she just took over. Throughout her life, Sara created her stunningly beautiful butterflies on her own. She did everything from the silverwork to cutting and inlaying all the stone and shell. Sara signs each creation with a sharp pointing needle. Sara says she started making jewelry so she could have her own spending money for herself and her family. She says it was wonderful learning how to make jewelry. When she was finished making her pieces, she would go into Gallup to sell. It was exciting to sell and then go shopping. If there was extra, playing bingo was always on the agenda! At those times, bingo was played at the St.

Anthony School or in Gallup. She also loved to garden in her spare time to get away from her worktable. Now her favorite pass time is spending time with her Grandchildren and her Great Grandchildren. When Sara was about 28 years old, she adopted her niece, Tara Edaakie. Now she boasts a large loving family of 4 Grandchildren and 7 Great Grandchildren.

Sara says all her sisters make jewelry. Their parents taught all their children to make jewelry. All her sisters still make jewelry to this day! They consider their work to be silver colored pendants. Besides Sara’s parents and siblings, there are many other family members known for their art. Sara tells me about her niece Emma Edaakie, her niece Andrea Lonjose, her great niece Tamara Pinto, her sister Caroline Edaakie and Caroline’s sons Angus Ahiyite, Lyndon Ahiyite, and Leavus Ahiyite. She goes on to mention her sister Deanne Edaakie, Judy Quandelacy and her Father’s family consisting of Anthony and Rita Edaakie, Raylan and Pattie Edaakie and Lee Edaakie.

Zuni jewelry collectors are very fortunate if they have any of Sara Edaakie’s pieces in their collections. Her butterflies grace many galleries today and her art can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Sara wants to thank everyone that has supported her and those that have bought her jewelry. I believe it is us that should be thankful and blessed to have such a creative Lady in our midst. Her beautiful jewelry will be cherished and enjoyed for generations to come. It brings me great joy to have met Sara and I know I will always smile when I see one of her beautiful butterflies grace our presence.

HON DOBINDE A:HOI’ Elahkwa, Kenny