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Shopping for crafts is one of Arizona's great recreational activities, but don't let anyone try to tell you that it doesn't involve skill. Identifying the best items to buy and the best places to find them takes savvy sleuthing, which is half the fun!
 | In general, if you want to be sure that a Native American craft is genuine rather than mass-produced or a cheap knockoff, look for the artisan's name on the piece or ask the seller, who should be able to tell you. Small irregularities are also a tip-off that an item is handmade. |
Hopi katsina dolls
To the Hopi people, katsinas (pronounced kat-see-nuhs,and less accurately termed kachinas) are the spiritual aspect of all material phenomena, including plants, animals, rain — you name it. More than 400 kinds exist. Naturally, when in spirit form, you can't see them, but their representations are made visible through such items as ceremonial masks, headgear, costumes worn by katsina dancers, and, most famously, dolls. Katsina dolls were (and still are) used as toys and teaching tools for young girls, but craftspeople now make many katsinas to be sold to outsiders, as well. Hopi katsinas are intricately carved and painted and always made of cottonwood root; knockoffs are generally cruder and created from other materials. Buy these dolls on the Hopi mesas, either directly from the artisans or at one of the small shops, in order to guarantee authenticity and good prices. The smallest katsina dolls start around $50, and you may pay $500 or more for larger, more detailed figures.
Hopi overlay silverwork
A relatively new craft (originating in the mid-1950s), Hopi overlay silverwork is just what is sounds like: intricate designs are cut with a fine tool out of a flat layer of silver, which is soldered onto a second layer that is approximately the same size but slightly thinner. Both layers are oxidized, but only the top layer is polished, which makes it stand out in contrast with the black layer below. The back may be (but isn't always) stamped with a personal hallmark — usually the artist's name or clan symbol — and you can expect to find a "sterling" stamp (unless of course, the item is made of gold, which some of the younger artists are now using). This double-layered silver is fashioned into decorative items — everything from earrings to watch bands and belt buckles — as varied as the Hopi universe-oriented designs. The Hopi mesas are the best places to buy this work, but you can find good pieces throughout the state. Prices start around $15 for a simple pair of earrings and go up from there.
Navajo rugs
The 300-year history of Navajo rugs is a cultural barometer of the lives of their creators. In the 19th century, western traders influenced the design of the rugs, encouraging the Navajos to create patterns that would sell well to Anglos. Many of the distinct designs you find today — for example, Two Grey Hills, Crystal, and Ganado Red — are named for the trading posts where they originated. The colors used in Navajo rugs vary widely, and most of the patterns are abstract and purely decorative. Some rugs weave tall, skinny figures into their designs representing yeis, supernatural healers. Other rugs show yeibichais (look for the uplifted feet), Navajo dancers dressed as yei spirits. Rugs with pictorial scenes depict life on the reservation; details may include anything from pickup trucks to soda machines. You pay a lot for the genuine item — rugs start around $350 and go well into the thousands. Large, antique rugs fetch upward of $25,000. Ironically, now that the rugs are becoming prized for their great artistry, few skilled artisans are left. Most of the younger Navajos abandoned weaving for more potentially lucrative professions.
You can trust the authenticity of anything you buy at the Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, the Cameron Trading Post near the Grand Canyon, and at Garland's Navajo Rugs in Sedona, all of which have wide selections.
Navajo silverwork
Navajo silversmithing began in the mid-19th century as a vehicle for incorporating much-prized pieces of turquoise — traditionally a lucky, healing stone — into decorative items such as necklaces and belts. These days, many pieces, especially wide bracelets, belt buckles, and squash blossom necklaces (the ones with the horseshoe-shaped pendants), still incorporate the blue stone, although coral is used, too. You may also find intricate designs on plain silver concha (shell-style) belts, earrings, and bracelets. Navajo silverwork is single layer, unlike that of the Hopi. Braided silver is common, too, especially in antique pieces. You find good pieces at trading posts and crafts shops all over the Navajo reservation. Some of the older, heavily turquoise-studded ones are sold near the reservation in towns such as Flagstaff, Winslow, and Holbrook. Some of the most creative work is exported to Native American crafts boutiques in Greater Phoenix and Tucson. Prices range widely, starting at about $20 for small earrings and going up to the thousands for the larger items. For newer work, check for markings (sometimes in ink) with the artist's name and for a stamp that says, "sterling." Antique work may not have those signs of authenticity.
Zuni carvings (fetishes)
A fetish is a kind of talisman or personal charm. All tribes in the Southwest make use of fetishes, but the Zuni, a New Mexico Puebloan people closely related to the Hopi, are particularly renowned for their skill at carving these small figurines. According to legend, certain animals — mountain lions, bears, badgers, wolves, eagles, and moles — serve as protectors, as healers, and as messengers to and from the spirit world. The Zuni people wear small stone representations of these sacred animals, believed to contain their spirits, for protection from harm and to assure success. The stones made for sale to non-Indians (the Zunis allude to them as "carvings" rather than fetishes) aren't imbued with any religious significance. The Zunis make these crafts out of a variety of carvable, colorful stones, including such semiprecious ones as turquoise, alabaster, and lapis. Because they're not native to Arizona, you don't find Zuni carvings in any particular place in the state; most reputable Native American crafts shops sell them, however. Prices start around $15 and rarely go beyond $50.
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