Photograph by Addison Doty. Copyright 2010 School for Advanced Research.
Bolo tie
Date: 1953-2000
Artist or Maker: Deborah Gasper
Dimensions:
Tie Dimensions: 50 cm (19 11/16 in.)
Slide Dimensions: 7.3 × 5 × 1 cm (2 7/8 × 1 15/16 × 3/8 in.)
Medium: leather | silver | turquoise | jet | coral | pen shell | malachite
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. Fabrizia Marcus, 2000.
Place Made:
Zuni Pueblo, McKinley County, New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North America
Object Number: SAR.2000-1-1
Not on view
Tribal Collection Review RemarksJim Enote and Octavius Seowtewa during collection review visit December 7 and 8, 2010 (Events Record “Collection Review: Zuni Tribe, Review 5”): The materials used are silver, turquoise (two different kinds), jet, coral, pen shell (yellow shell), malachite, pink mussel, an unknown iridescent white shell (tail feathers), and leather. The techniques used are channel inlay and mosaic inlay (only on bandolier across the figure’s chest). The current catalog description incorrectly identifies the figure as the Knife-Wing God. This should be changed to just “Knife Wing,” because it is not a god. The description also contains a lengthy explanation of possible materials for the red material—this should also be changed, since it has been identified as coral. The artist, Deborah Gasper, is the daughter of Pete Gasper, who is a well-known carvings artist.
Knife Wing is a figure in Zuni stories who helped the Zuni people find their homelands. Because he could fly he was able to help them find a good place to live. He is a symbol of strength and is associated with War Chiefs. He is also depicted on some types of altars. Knife Wing is always depicted as dressed very similarly to an Eagle Dancer. The difference between the two is that Knife Wing's face is different from an Eagle Dancer's face (for example, Knife Wing wears a round face with a cloud step headdress and the face doesn't include a beak). Though dressed much like an Eagle Dancer, Knife Wing is only a symbol and is not represented in dances. The Zuni name for Knife Wing is Achiyaladaba.
The Indian Arts Research Center, in collaboration with Native American community scholars, strives to present accurate collections records. Records may be updated as new information becomes available and is reviewed with the Native American community having cultural affinity to particular items. Please write to iarc@sarsf.org if you have questions or concerns related to the documentation.