8 minute read
Zuni and Its Beauty Kenneth Maxymowich
ZUNI AND ITS BEAUTY
By Kenneth Maxymowich
Zuni, New Mexico is a magical historical place where incredible art is created daily and for past generations. We see traders, buyers and collectors come and go but Zuni created art is here for a lifetime and
so are the traditional patterns, designs, techniques and families. Strong family ties have patterns and techniques handed down generation after generation. With modern technology and influences we continue to have artists create new and exciting designs in jewelry, paintings, beadwork, fetishes, pottery and digital art.
Award winning Don Dewa is an incredibly talented Zuni artist that is mostly self-taught. Intently watching his motherin law making jewelry, Don’s interest was peaked and he started by making cluster pieces like she was creating. It was his
motherin Law, Loretta Eriacho that mentioned to Don that he could make a good living by creating jewelry. He was 24 years old when he started making jewelry and Don says it was a great way to relax while he was in such a stressful job. At the time Don was working for BIA Zuni roads department, a position he began in 1970. He worked there for about 5 years until his jewelry took off and he could make more money at creating jewelry than working a job with headaches! He was so happy working being his own boss. Once he was on his own with his wife Velma, they were already making unique pieces derived from ideas that they thought of and from pictures of jewelry they came across. They would always add their own unique design to their work and call it their own.
Don Dewa was born a Sun Clan member. He lived with his family in Gallup until he was about 10. After leaving Gallup, Don moved back to his homeland of Zuni where he stayed with Tony and Rita Edaakie and their young family. He tells me how grateful he is to them even today for sharing their home with his family. Then later, Don’s Mom and two sisters moved back to Gallup, and he then stayed with Charlotte Dishta whom he calls his sister. It is here at Charlotte’s in Zuni where Don continued his education and eventually graduated. Although life growing up in Zuni was not always easy, he always believed in becoming educated and made a point of graduating from high school. From 1967 to 1970 Don Dewa proudly served this amazing country in the US Army. Don heroically received two Purple Hearts for wounds received in combat while in Vietnam. Returning home injured, Don then married his sweetheart Velma Eriacho in a beautiful service December 24, 1970. Being Christmas Eve, he remembers both of them dressing up as Joseph and Mary for their wedding! Velma and Don would eventually have one Son and one Daughter and now so proudly boast about their three Granddaughters. Don and Velma were married 32 years before her untimely passing.
Being a Sun Clan member, Don started using that design in his and Velma’s work about 5 years into making jewelry. Still today, all of his jewelry still boasts this beautiful Sun Face design. Then about 4 years later, Don was so impressed by a spinner piece of jewelry in a magazine, he decided to come up with his own spinner design. He was so impressed with what he created that this same design
is used in his unique spinner pieces today. Matter of fact, a belt buckle with 5 spinners just won a first-place ribbon at this year’s Gallup Ceremonial competition at Red Rock. It was an honor for me to be with Don not only for the jewelry gala night, but we also shared an evening together at the Night Dance Celebrations! All of his inlay jewelry is signed Don Dewa with a sun face and stamped sterling. In the last few years, Don has broadened his creative horizons adding cartoon characters into his repertoire of work. To say the least, these characters are so realistically created, and he is extremely busy satisfying collectors and fans of his work from all places of this planet!
Don’s brother Andrew who was 2 years older was also incredibly talented and is a very well-known jewelry artist and we will talk more about him soon. Sadly, he was taken away from us way too early in this creative legend’s life. Don’s sister Ola Eriacho and also her late husband Tony Eriacho are well known inlay artists. Viola and Donald Eriacho were also popular and very talented inlay artists and Viola still creates gorgeous inlay pieces next door to her brother-in-law Don! Don’s Mother is 97 years young and still creating beadwork. What an incredibly talented family providing the world with such beautifully created inlay pieces.
To get away from his worktable, Don Dewa enjoys getting away for a nice meal and going out to the casino. In the early 70s, Don used to love getting out to the homesteaders
Eriacho Ranch with his brother-in-law. The farm had sheep and cattle and it’s so nice to hear all about all the memories created at the ranch. They both bought a big dozer at Navajo tractor and used it to make roads and trails until it wouldn’t run any longer. It was a place to get away from Zuni, take care of the animals and go hunting. Don also remembers a time at the spot where Turquoise Village is now that buyers would line up in their vehicles vying to purchase Zuni Jewelry in that open lot. He explains to me how funny it was for the buyers to fight and push each other to get the attention of the artists as they would pull up! He says in Zuni they would call it the camel lot!!! Well, it’s not very much different even now close to that very same spot!!
It’s really no wonder that Don and Velma were so successful and now that he continues to be so busy creating his masterpieces! He remembers Velma always telling him to take his time and concentrate on his work, never rush to make something because there is no room for error or mistakes. Don’s philosophy is to create perfection in every piece. He tells me “Make sure you have everything the way you want your jewelry to be because if your buyers don’t like what they see that’s not done to perfection you lose a buyer. Make sure you take your time in what you make, then the people that buy your jewelry will buy more and you will have a customer for life.”
We wish Don the absolute very best in everything he does. He works so hard to satisfy buyers and collectors from all over the world and I hope that I will continue to be able to take him away from his work to just get away and enjoy life. We are all so blessed to have Don creating incredible inlay jewelry that will be enjoyed and loved for generations to come.
HON DOBINDE A:HOI’ Elahkwa, Kenny
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