Depression Era Santo Domingo Pueblo Thunderbird Necklace

About the Piece: When yours truly attended her first antique tribal art show, her first purchase was a Depression Era thunderbird necklace made at Santo Domingo Pueblo. It's easy to fall in love with the ingenuity that gave birth to these vintage "battery bird" necklaces that originated during the Great Depression. At that time, fine jewelry materials like coral and turquoise were scarce. Resourceful Kewa artists made do with old car battery casings, toothbrushes, bones, phonograph records and even spoons from Dairy Queen. It's the ultimate in eco-friendly upcycling before that was even a thing. The resulting necklaces from Kewa Pueblo were charming and creative pieces of Native American folk art jewelry. Each one is a little bit different, and they're now beloved and collectible - even more so after the Wheelwright Museum here in Santa Fe held an exhibition on this form of jewelry. This particular vintage Santo Domingo thunderbird necklace is lovely because it's much smaller in scale. It also makes use of white glass seed beads rather than bone or gypsum. The smaller size and the white seed beads give it a less rugged, easier to wear feel than some of the other Depression necklaces. I like to think that the provenance on this necklace is special as it is one of the very first pieces that I acquired when I started working in the field of Native American jewelry and art. It's been in my collection for more than 2 decades. The necklace measures 20" from end to end. The thunderbird pendant measures 2" x 1 1/2" and each of the 8 inlaid pendants measure between 3/4" - 7/8" long. Summary: Item: Depression Era Santo Domingo Pueblo Thunderbird Necklace Attribution: Kewa Pueblo (Santo Domingo Pueblo) Materials: Glass seed beads, car battery casings, turquoise and other recycled materials Dimensions: The necklace measures 20" from end to end. The thunderbird pendant measures 2" x 1 1/2" and each of the 8 inlaid pendants measure between 3/4" - 7/8" long. Signature: No Provenance: For over two decades part of the private collection of Bonnie McClung, owner of Turquoise & Tufa.