Kokopelli & Corn Stalk Buckle

The background surrounding this striking Kokopelli and the many-earred corn stalk in front of him seems to be alive with the music of his flute playing.  The kokopelli is associated with both fertility and growth.

For men he represents virility, a symbol known to most tribes of North and South America.  Since very ancient times, his unique form has been depicted in effigies, on pottery and walls of kivas and caves.  

Appropriately, the Kokopelli graces this handsome buckle !

(1935-2010) Bernard Dawahoya (Masqueva, Little Sun) of the Snow clan created jewelry as early at the 1950's.

This Hopi silversmith was taught by Washington Talayumptewa and Sidney Sekakuku, his uncles. He also took classes at the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild.

Dawahoya won his first 1st place ribbon in 1971.  In 1998 he was designated an Arizona Living Treasure.  He was known for these decorative elements:  Hopi Snake Dancer, Crow Mother, Mudheads, Kokopelli, eagles, roadrunners, corn plants as well as a man in the maze. 

Dawahoya's work is included in the permanent collections of the Peabody Museum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.