I am just a little turquoise obsessed. I love turquoise of all kinds: Sleeping
Beauty, Kingman, Dry Creek, Nevada, Bisbee, Blue Diamond and of course
Boulder Turquoise.
Let’s not forget White Buffalo turquoise – yes there is even white turquoise…
Years ago I bought this giant postcard of all the turquoise mines in the Southwest when I stopped at a gas station / antique shop in Buena Vista Colorado. I swore I was going to go to all of the mines!!! I had always loved the stone and its rainbow shades of rich blues and teal greens but it was not until I moved to Colorado that I began to understand how sacred and important this stone is to the Native American people and their culture.
Although below is not a full list of all those who held and hold Turquoise dear to their culture, here are a few of the reasons why Turquoise is so powerful. Below are just a few examples of the powerful cultural significance turquoise I have learned about:
The Navajo, Diné culture, tell the legend of the goddess, Estsanatlehi, who appeared to humankind as a drop of turquoise or a turquoise woman.
The Zuni, Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, word for turquoise translates to “sky stone”. They believe that turquoise is a manifestation of the sun’s life-giving power.
The Apache Native American culture associates turquoise with rain at the end of the rainbow. It was common for them to attach pieces of turquoise to their bows to make them precise tools and turn the people into invincible hunters and warriors.
The Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, known as “the peaceful people", believe turquoise to be the excrement of “the lizard who travels between the above and the below”, creating a stone that could hold back floods. Hopituh Shi-nu-mu miners also carried turquoise to give them security and strength in their work.
For some cultures and tribes, turquoise represented strength, skill, or even invincibility. By respectfully and lovingly incorporating turquoise into my pieces, I hope that I can honor this incredible stone and the cultures who have revered it over many centuries.
Through a corporate career, three kids, and a dozen moves, my road trip to all of these incredible turquoise mines was put on hold. However, when I am not working in the studio, I’m planning to finally hit the turquoise road soon. SHOP TURQUOISE
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