Handmade Navajo Pin With Deer and Bear Norbert Peshlakai and Family

Almost a decade ago, Native American art dealer Martha Struever guided her final group of collectors through the Southwest on one of her famous Native art tours. 

On those tours, we'd stop at the homes, studios and workshops of different Indigenous artists, watch a presentation on their creation process, and then have the opportunity to purchase their artwork.

That's where this handmade brooch was originally collected - on one of Marti's Southwestern field trips during a visit with Norbert Peshlakai way back in the day. The sweet silver canvas is "painted" with Norbert's stamps of deer and a bear. It looks as if the deer are grazing in a field underneath a brightly shining sun (perhaps being stalked by the bear). The pin is unsigned and while it came to Turquoise & Tufa as being Norbert Peshlakai's work, it could have also been created by one of Norbert's family members under his supervision. When we used to visit artists on Marti's tours, family members of the featured artists would also proudly display their own work. 

Whether its by Norbert or family or a collaboration, the pin is a great piece with a wonderful story from the heyday of Native art collecting.

The "field trip" pin measures 1 3/4" x 1 1/8"