Two Handcrafted,

Native American Inspired Necklaces

1) This modern take on traditional Native American turquoise & beaded necklace was crafted by Darren Shaw & donated to the museum when we hosted a Safari Soukaba Artisan Market in the Spring of 2021. The Soukaba was one of the earliest fundraisers when the museum opened, & we held the first one since the 1970s in honor of the museum's 60th Birthday. Darren set up a sales booth for his business, Navajo Art by Darren during the Soukaba, & had specially designed this necklace for us to use in a future fundraiser to support our cultural collections.

2) The Kumihimo Hairpipe Bone Choker was created & donated by Glenn "Brian" Dent

Glenn Dent crafts stunning Lakota inspired jewelry and he has selected some amazing pieces to share with us to support the museum.

This choker features a slip clasp for a perfect fit with extended kumihimo braids.

Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese art form of making braids and cords. Literally meaning "gathered threads", kumihimo are made by interlacing reels of yarn, commonly silk, with the use traditional, specialized looms - either a marudai (lit., "round stand") or a takadai (also known as a kdai).

The museum hosted highly successful Kumihimo workshops during a Textile Exhibition and since then museum supporters like Glenn have really embraced this art form and shared many of their works to support us.