Bones, Teeth, and Claws in Jewelry: Native American Tradition
Personally, as a jewelry artist and lover of shamanic tradition and practices, I love the potency of wearing the bones and teeth of the power animals I feel a special medicine connect to. Indigenous Cultures have traditionally revered and held sacred the physical forms and bodies of the animal world, but also the bones of their ancestors.
Though some modern folks today get the heebie-jeebies form the idea of wearing animal parts (other than leather of course), there really is a different way to look at it…
I feel that to bejewel and wear these tiny parts of these powerful gorgeous creatures honors their spirit. And who knew how to honor the spirits of these animals, these LIon, Bear, Owl, Eagle, Wolf and Boar BETTER than the indigenous people of the world. Indeed, we can learn a good many things from them how to be IN RELATIONSHIP with the nitty gritty realness of the natural world. The magic of the natural world. And the Spiritual Power of the natural world.
So yes, while hunting in our modern world is indeed controversial, mainly because of human impact on animal populations, indigenous people today still hunt and trap in their tribal lands. For example, many of the bear claws i use are hunted by the Ojibwe in Canada. Many claws I receive as gift or reclamations of some sort. Some times, when its meant to be, Ill find animal that has been unfortunately hit by a car.
So, in the spirit of shamanic traditions and ancient earth-based cultures everywhere, I love to incorporate carved fossil ivory and bone, tooth and claw, image and spirit of the dear sacred animals I honor in my heart. And I do so with a prayer for their kind to thrive in power and beauty, and that they are presenced even more in our modern world as a result of people wearing the jewelry created with that intent..
