Posted 11 years ago
clay.lady
(9 items)
CERAMIC MINIATURE SHOE SWASTIKA MOTIF
I FOUND THIS A FEW YEARS BACK, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND OUT ANY THING ABOUT IT.
IT'S SMALL : 4" LONG X 2" HIGH
DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY IDEAS?
( I added a pic. of the bottom)
THANKS!
The swastika motif was used by some Native American groups. It has been found in excavations of Mississippian-era sites in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. It is frequently used as a motif on objects associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (S.E.C.C.). It was also widely used by many southwestern tribes, most notably the Navajo. Among various tribes, the swastika carried different meanings. To the Hopi it represented the wandering Hopi clan; to the Navajo it was one symbol for a whirling log, a sacred image representing a legend that was used in healing rituals. In ealy 20th century North America it was simply represented as a good luck symbol.
Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge on this!
...Do you think this might actually be very old and not a tourist trinket?
yep aghcollect is right on. can you take a pic of the bottom
Wow!..aghcollect...YES!!!!...thanks for sharing your knowledge..very very interesting!..what a great thing to have...clay.lady..:-)
I've added a photo of the bottom (vanskyock24) And thanks Inky!
even if it is a tourist item, this is a great little piece! you are lucky to have found it. i thought 'Hopi' when i saw it, but i guess it could be Dine [Navajo] too.
I would say it def has age on it very neat piece clay lady
Thanks for your thoughts and comments guys!
An update... I sold this item. It turns out it's Isleta Pueblo ...an unincorporated Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States,
originally established around the 14th century. Isleta Pueblo
is located in the Middle Rio Grande Valley, 13 miles south of Albuquerque
Too bad it is sold. Yes it is an Isleta piece, but NOBODY knows ANYTHING about why they were made or what they represent. For sure they morphed into souvenir items, but I have pieces dating before the tourist trade or railroads to the Southwest. Save my email - I collect pairs and interesting singles.