American Indian Jewelry | Purses & Apparel

American Indian jewelry from the Pueblo Indian tribes of New Mexico, Arizona and Texas is hand made Indian jewelry similar to Navajo Indian jewelry of the southwest. Indian turquoise jewelry made by the Tigua Indians from the Ysleta Del Sur pueblo is authentic Native American Indian jewelry true to the traditional craftsmanship. These beautiful pieces of authentic Native American jewelry were made by Tigua Indian artist, Angie Gutierrez.

When you think about Native adornment, American Indian jewelry, North American Indian jewelry or even pottery and art, the Pueblo Indians lead the way in producing original pieces of beaded jewelry. Genuine Native American Indian jewelry uses the elements of nature that all cultures love. Turquoise, coral and shell as well as precious stones, glass beads, sterling silver and fetish animals set the standard. Each Indian necklace, bracelet or earring is carefully hand strung to create beaded Indian jewelry that looks beautiful and represents the best of American Indian jewelry.

Who Are the Tigua Indians? The Tigua Indians are one of the Puebloan tribes and the only one located in Texas. The Pueblo Indians are made up of 22 tribes still in existence in the southwest, twenty in New Mexico and one in Arizona as well as the Tigua or Ysleta Del Sur located just east of El Paso, TX. About 50 earlier Pueblo tribes are now extinct. All the Puebloan tribes had similar ways of life but different languages and so were grouped under the title of Pueblo Indians. Their name, Pueblo, coming from the Spanish meaning village is a reference to how they lived in Pueblos, an image now synonymous with southwest decor. Acoma pueblo is the oldest continually inhabited village in the southwest. One of the largest of the original pueblos was Gran Quivera, started about 800 AD, located south of present day Albuquerque. From here the Isleta tribe, who spoke Tiwa migrated south to their present El Paso location as a result of 1680 Pueblo revolt. They named their new pueblo Ysleta Del Sur where they speak Tigua. As such the Tigua Indians are a part of a rich culture who still survive and preserve their National heritage through traditional ceremonies and handcrafts.

The Tigua Indians were thought by some to be extinct in the 1930’s. But tribal leaders began to rally the people and to express themselves as a people, laying claim to the land they had lost as a result of their land grant from Spain not being honored. As late as 1968 the State of Texas finally officially recognized the Tigua as a tribe and President Lyndon Johnson also recognized the Tigua as a Nation by signing an act of congress which made their remaining land a reservation. Today, the Tigua still live on their land.