Navajo Sterling Silver Ceremonial Director Bolo Tie View Watchlist >
Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, Eagle Dancer, Squash Blossom, Mid-Century
- Winning Bid: $200.00
- 36 Bid(s) View Bid History
- High Bidder: Giddyup
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Lot # JD123
System ID # 27711077
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Navajo Sterling Silver Ceremonial Director Bolo Tie
Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, Eagle Dancer, Squash Blossom, Mid-Century
A rare and historically significant example of mid-century Navajo silversmithing — a presentation bolo tie crafted specifically for a Ceremonial Director of the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial.
A Note on Provenance
The Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial was founded on September 28, 1922, in Gallup, New Mexico — a railroad town at the edge of the Navajo Nation that had long served as a crossroads between Anglo traders and the indigenous communities of the Colorado Plateau. What began as a modest gathering of dancers illuminated by automobile headlights around bonfires grew, across a century, into an institution of genuine cultural consequence. The Ceremonial hosts the oldest juried Native American art show in the United States and draws participants from tribes across North America.
The men and women who directed that institution were recognized with pieces of silver. Not purchased. Not produced for the tourist trade. Made by hand, for a purpose, for a person.
This is one of those pieces.
The Silverwork
The 3-inch sterling disc is worked in the confident, unhurried manner of a Navajo silversmith who understood both the medium and the occasion. At center, an Eagle Dancer is rendered in deeply oxidized engraving — arms extended, regalia expressed through spare but evocative line work. The Eagle holds a position of particular reverence in Pueblo ceremonial tradition, regarded as a messenger between the terrestrial and spirit worlds, a figure called upon in ceremonies of healing, prayer, and communal renewal.
Encircling the dancer is a hand-carved squash blossom border — that most quintessentially Navajo of motifs, its origins tracing to the pomegranate ornaments introduced by Spanish colonizers in the seventeenth century and transformed over generations into something wholly indigenous. Here the blossom chain does not merely decorate; it consecrates, framing the dancer as one might frame an object of veneration.
Above and below, in bold oxidized block lettering: CEREMONIAL DIRECTOR. Flanking chevrons, stamped with precision, complete the composition.
Tips and Cord
The matched sterling silver torpedo cones — 3.6 inches in length, with faceted ball terminals and engraved oblique banding — are substantial in hand and well-proportioned to the disc. The 38-inch braided black leather cord remains intact, wearing its age with the quiet dignity of a working piece rather than a display object.
Condition
There are no repairs, no replaced elements, no alterations. Sterling of this quality and age responds readily to polishing should the collector prefer a brighter surface — though many will find the present patina precisely right.
This is a piece for the collector who understands that the most interesting objects are rarely the ones made for sale.
Quick Specs
| Material | Sterling Silver (Tested), Unmarked |
| Tribal Affiliation | Navajo |
| Maker | Unknown — no hallmark present |
| Weight | 66 grams |
| Slide Diameter | 3" |
| Cord Length | 38" |
| Cord Width | 4.28mm braided leather |
| Tip Length | 3.6" sterling silver cones |
| Condition | Good — natural patina, no repairs |
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