That is the name of this piece: Peaks and Waters.
And it’s so apt, especially in this place, at this time of year, that I’m going to devote this post simply to highlighting Wings’s work. Because while I love everything he creates, every once in a while, he produces a piece that is just so perfect, so archetypal, that it deserves to be brought to the attention of the wider world.
We live in the southern tail of the Rocky Mountains, in a region classified as “high desert.” Our home here, on land that’s been in Wings’s family since time immemorial, is at the base of the peaks that are an integral part of Pueblo life. These mountains, sacred to the people here, are living, breathing organisms in their own right: ecosystems micro and macro and everything in between. We gauge the seasons by the changes in their blankets, and the health of our environment by the changes in the patterns woven thereon. They protect us, shelter us, massive earthen lodges that provide the safety of home.
And between and among the peaks and nestled in the valleys are waters of a kind that one would not expect to appear in an area labeled “desert,” no matter the altitude. Blue Lake, perhaps the most sacred spot here, and one that exists only for the Pueblo’s people: after its theft, finally recovered more than forty years ago, reserving it only to and for its own is as it should be. The rivers, fed by the melting snow pack off the peaks, wending their way down the mountains to the old village and the surrounding lands: They feed our arroyos and ancient ditches and irrigate the land that sustains us; they are the embodiment, the fullest manifestation, of life in the desert.
And sometimes, Spirit moves Wings’s heart and his hands to manifest these blessings in his own medium. That’s what happened with this piece, which came together in a perfect synthesis of symbolism and spirit. From the description in the Bracelets Gallery:
Pueblo culture takes form in its stories of how the People came to be. Some of the most foundational, the most elemental, tell of our relationship to the natural world, the sacred peaks and waters so wholly a part of our collective being. Here, those stories assume tangible form in a cuff of heavy-gauge sterling silver triangle wire: Hand-stamped symbols representing the peaks resemble sacred lodges, and line either side of the band’s apex. Beneath, on either side, the tiniest of sacred hoops, themselves symbols of life, are grouped together in a repeating pattern symbolizing water, bringing life to the desert.
Sterling silver
$525 + shipping, handling, and insurance
And it’s one of those pieces that almost didn’t get made. Because last year and early this year, the sterling silver triangle wire that gave the piece form became impossible to find. It’s not that there was a shortage of silver itself, merely of silver in in this particular form. And that’s fairly unusual; it’s expensive to buy, and not many area Native artisans use it regularly because it’s too costly to keep on hand. But it spent an extended period on seemingly terminal back-order, and it wasn’t until early this year that Wings was able to replenish his supply.
It’s good that he did; he used it for several of the pieces entered in his show this Spring. And of those particular pieces, this one was the standout.
Now that climate change has once again brought our monsoon season early, the peaks and waters are once again in the forefront of our consciousness here. It seems as good a time as any to highlight work that reflects these blessings of the natural world.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
