Navajo Silversmiths

Thanks to the interest in Native American culture by some dedicated scholar/explorers in the early years of America’s westward expansion, we have insights into their lifestyles. In this e-book we can benefit from the commentaries of Dr, Washington Matthews to learn about the initial development of silversmithing among the Navajo people. His monologue, originally published for the Smithsonian Institution’s Bureau of Ethnology, gives us information about the simple working tools and techniques Navajo silversmiths used to create objects of utility and great beauty. Some of these straight forward techniques may be valuable for artists today.