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The ancient Native American cultures of the Freemont and Ancestral Puebloan peoples had
disappeared long before the white man settled the North American continent.
What became of them is a mystery. They are known to us only by the
artifacts and art work they left behind. Both cultures created
petroglyphs and pictographs on flat vertical rock surfaces in the areas
where they lived, fished, and hunted. Pictographs were painted or
drawn onto the rock surface using various mineral "paints", and petroglyphs
were pecked or carved into the rock's surface. Why they made them, and
what they mean can only be speculated at. Subject matter included
human forms, animals, shields, tools, rain clouds, lightning, celestial
events and what appear to be solar calendars, and abstract geometric
figures. The most interesting are supernatural entities that appear to
be gods, spirits, or aliens.
Kokopelli is the name given to a fairly common figure found on hundreds
of rock art panels throughout the South West; some not too far from Moab,
Utah. He is usually depicted with a prominent hump on his back, long
braids of hair or feathers on his head, and often playing a flute.
Kokopelli was a Native American god most often viewed as a fertility symbol, traveling
minstrel, hunting magician, rain priest, trader, or trickster. Kokopelli obviously loved life. If alive today, I can see him involved in
all kinds of fun sports and outdoor activities; like mountain biking on the
Red Rock around Moab. So I decided to create a "petroglyph" of a
Mountain Biking Kokopelli.
This necklace pendant is hand crafted in sterling silver. I started
by looking at lots of pictures of people mountain biking and sketched them on
paper. I then drew Kokopelli in my favorite mountain biking pose. The
"petroglyph" I drew was then photoetched into metal.
I chose the shape of Utah for the border to represent the state Moab is part
of. A mold was made from this original, and cast in sterling silver. After the silver is
polished, I use a jewelers antiquing in the petroglyph depression to make it
black so it will stand out. The pendant in the shape of the state of
Utah measures 7/8" tall x 11/16" wide x 1.3mm thick, and weighs about 5
grams. The front surface is textured to resemble a natural rock
surface. The chain is a 24" silver color plated
curb chain. I have listed 5 of these available for sale. I keep at
least one
all finished up and ready to ship within 1 business day after receipt of your
cleared payment.
If you order 2 or more it may take me 3 or 4 days to get
the additional ones finished and ready to ship. Also available in my eBay store are other petroglyph necklaces and earrings.
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