As we close out this week of fire, we do so with another of Wings’s brand-new works, a pair of auxiliary members of The Firebird Collection.
In this instance, it’s not a necklace, but earrings. No rosarita; all old coral. And the bird spirits are not symbolic, but made manifest in shape and form.
It’s a pair of rufous hummingbirds, tiny yet powerful beings in cloaks of brilliant reds, small spirits indigenous to this land. Male and female alike wear robes of fire and flame, the male’s colors predictably much more flamboyant and volatile than those of his mate, but she nevertheless also wears red on her breast and wingtips and tail. Their iridescent feathers fall in layers that form near-circular patterns, orb-like shapes that evoke the spirits of the skies in which they they live and do their work; the feathers themselves align into triangular designs, perfect geometric shapes that evoke the imagery of traditional lodges. It’s imagery that finds its way into Wings’s homage to these tiny firebirds and their powerful abilities. From their description in the Earrings Gallery:
Hummingbirds are fierce little spirits: quick, assertive, and very tactical; beings who dart and hover and buzz like colorful bees; messengers, of love, of other spirits, of powerful medicine. Wings has caught a mated pair in mid-hover, coaxed from and captured in sterling silver with the delicate freehand work of a tiny jeweler’s saw, hand-stamped with the symbols of the sky that is their domain and the lodge in which their healing powers are brought to bear. On the reverse are scattered the flowers it is their task to pollinate. Each earring is lightly domed and shaped with a hint of repoussé styling, and each bears a single round cabochon of old natural branch coral at the base of the wings: deep fiery red, the exact hue of the red feathers of the little rufous hummingbird native to this land. Earrings hang 2-1/4 inches long (excluding wires) by 1-5/8″ across at the widest point (dimensions approximate). Reverse shown below.
Sterling silver; old natural branch coral
$425 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Hummingbirds are found in the artistic and cultural and spiritual traditions of indigenous peoples all over this land. Here in the Southwest, they tend to be regarded as messengers, emissaries of the spirits, a perfect role for a tiny being able to hover for an extended period in mid-air, allowing it to deliver a message the people need to hear.
In some regions to the north, they possess warrior qualities and powers: again, apt for a being able to zoom and dart and strike with speed and agility, so small and seemingly innocuous that it affords them the benefits of stealth and surprise. They are fierce combatants, too, willing to defend their own with boldness and strength.
In other areas, they are signifiers of powerful medicine, their names derived from the powers and symbolism they lend to spiritual elders who practice the healing arts.
Here in our little corner of the world, they are welcome visitors upon the land, beings who count themselves among its original inhabitants and stewards, and who are gracious enough to share it with us. Their duties take them abroad upon the currents over the land, and they travel far and wide over the course of their lives. Once in a while, they will return here for a few weeks or months, and when they do, we are always ready to feed them. and provide them rest and respite from their long journey.
They are one of only three or four hummingbird species indigenous to this area (and still extant, at least). Thanks to the ravages of climate change, the fiery little rufous spends much less time here than in the past; perhaps its journey has lengthened, requiring it to range over ever-greater miles to perform its given tasks while finding sustenance.
For now, Wings has brought us a mated pair in homage to their beauty and their work and their powerful fire. Perhaps these little red and silver spirits, firebirds in miniature, will call their namesakes to return home, if only for a while.
~ Aji
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