Zuni and Its Beauty Kenny Maxymowich

ZUNI AND IT’S BEAUTY

Kenneth Maxymowich

Eldred has spent all his life in Zuni, New Mexico and says growing up here was “fun”! Surrounded by talented family silversmiths Eldred Martinez was destined for greatness. It is no wonder he is as incredibly talented, passionate and

so well known for his amazing jewelry because his influences have been some of the most famous artistic talents to come out of Zuni Pueblo.

It all started when Eldred was 8 or 9 years old, helping his parents any way he could with the numerous small pieces they created. Eldred’s Father Joseph was well known for his flower designs along with Eldred’s Mother Abbie who was the daughter of legend Leo Poblano. Joseph would do the silver work and soldering while Abbie would complete the pieces with stone setting and inlay work. As a boy, Eldred recalls doing whatever he could to help and learn the basics, either buffing or sanding small pieces. Eldred laughs telling this story as he recalls the old pump style torch, and we joke that some things are not missed! In these early days of his life,

his parents were his main teachers and mentors and although along the way he has had a multitude of major influences, he considers himself to be self-taught, self-made. You see this in all his designs and pieces as his jewelry is unique and one of a kind yet historic and traditional. As he continued to learn from his parents, Eldred quickly grew tired of working on hundreds of such small pieces. It was at this time that he started to dream of literally carving his own way with original designs and patterns. He reminds me that there was a lot of “trial and error’.

Kenny Maxymowich was raised and educated in southern Canada and even at an early age was drawn to the beauty of Indigenous culture, teachings, dances, food, and especially the people. Working hard for what he wanted, Kenny had many successful businesses before retiring a few years ago. He’s always been involved in music and after working with Iron Maiden on their World Tours he accumulated one of the largest music collections in the world. After visiting Zuni, he fell in love with the culture, teachings, dances, food and again the people. It’s an honor now for me to write about the history of this magical place and the artists that now have become my friends.

The middle village where Speedway is today is near where Eldred grew up. He remembers his uncles on his mother’s side to be his major influences on his

work. Can you even imagine growing up surrounded by such talented family members as Yelmo and Betty Natachu and Porfilio Sheyka? Eldred recalls his Uncle Yelmo and the traditional Rainbow Men of all kinds they were creating. His Uncle Porfilio was creating inlaid “wildlife” jewelry with rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, etc and a young Eldred was amazed by the beauty of it all. He was now dreaming of creating jewelry in this way. Other Zuni masters that influenced the young man were renown painters Alex Seowtewa and Duane Dishta. Their paintings involved the lifelike creations of dancing kachinas and you see the fluid movement also in Eldred Martinez’s kachinas made with sterling silver, stone, and shell. One other major influence that must be acknowledged is that of Eldred’s Grandfather Leo Poblano. Although he did not get to know his grandfather, Eldred got to appreciate his work later in life being introduced to his pieces by Greg Hofmann of Turquoise Village in Zuni. He honors his famous Grandfather with the dancers that he creates.

Growing up Eldred had a variety of different vocations as we all do, but he continued creating jewelry. He really got into

construction work and enjoyed it very much. Although liking his work, he would always be dreaming of new jewelry designs and his traditional work. It wasn’t until around 1999 that he quit his construction gig to work on his jewelry full-time. At this time, he could not keep up with orders coming in for his jewelry. It was at this time that he really got into creating larger designs like his infamous corn maidens and butterfly maidens. It’s so hard to believe that these beautiful corn maidens and butterfly maidens have already been around for 20 years. These designs are unique, graceful, traditional and timeless.

As the years went by Eldred kept up with traditional designs while always creating pieces with his own unique touch and attitude. He is especially known for his kachina dancers of all kinds but lately his passion and thoughts have been about his horse designs. For a few years now his 3-inch by 6-inch Zuni Pony bolo/pendants have been extremely popular. Recently, he has added horsehead and horseshoe earrings to the collection. Eldred has a love for horses, and he enjoys spending time with his own horses as much as possible especially after a day of working inside. It’s a lot of work gathering hay and especially hauling water, but he enjoys this time immensely. The Zuni Pony design comes from his visit to The Gathering of Nations Pow Wow when his Granddaughter Tyra was vying for Miss Indian World in Albuquerque. Eldred was blown away by the horses in the parade, all dressed up with beaded blankets and the Lady riders in full regalia. Wanting to add a

Zuni touch to the design of the Zuni Pony he incorporated old pottery designs into the inlay. The result is absolutely the most beautiful and unique horse jewelry design available today. Speaking with him today, you can hear the passion and excitement in his voice as he speaks of new horse designs in the way of necklaces and full concho belts. The future has so much in store for this incredibly talented silversmith. Also exciting is a brand-new design of a one-of-a-kind Buffalo Dancer Group Eldred is creating for this year’s Ceremonial taking place in August. I’m enclosing a picture of last year’s entry which is a one-of-a-kind butterfly maiden dancer set including a large squash and old-style butterfly bracelets, rings and earrings.

In his time away from the work bench, Eldred spends time with his family, spends time at the sheep camp and tending to his horses. He hopes to one day revive the horse relay group that was so active before the pandemic. Eldred is so grateful for his family’s support especially his Granddaughters who always take an interest in his work even though they have their own interests in their digital art. Having spent time with my friend Eldred and his family, I can tell you they are the most humble, kind and down to earth people I have encountered.

It’s exciting to see what the future holds for such a talented artist and what his next creations will be. It’s so nice to see traditional work brought back to life in such a unique and descriptive way. It’s so nice to hear him one day speak of a new design and then see his vision come to life and all coming from his creative hands. We as collectors, neighbors, and lovers of indigenous art are blessed to have such a talented and gifted artist in our midst.

HON DOBINDE A:HOI’ Elahkwa, Kenny