hopi.

I picked up this impressive hand-crafted Hopi bracelet yesterday in downtown Fort Collins. It’s a small shop named Meanwhile Back at the Ranch that deals exclusively in handmade Native American jewelry and art; everything from turquoise encrusted rings and necklaces to woven rugs and engraved pottery. This bracelet will join my growing collection of other Native American jewelry.

The shop owner explained to me that the corn stalk in the middle of the design signifies prosperity; the zigzags on either side are lightning; the spiral next to that, a tornado; the rounded shape with the tiny dot in it is a cloud, and there is rain falling from the cloud, which can barely be seen in this shot. I don’t know how much of that is actually true, nor do I really know what it means, or if the scene signifies anything. Perhaps it’s just a great looking design that the craftsman had fun with, knowing an oblivious American like myself would buy it. I’d like to think it has special meaning, but I’m happy wearing it anyway.