4/3/2023 0 Comments Squash blossom![]() Others believe the squash blossom is a design taken directly from the flowery part of the squash plant, which, along with corn and beans, are crops the Native Americans relied on in the Southwest. Some say the Navajo created the squash blossom design after seeing a pomegranate design being used as decoration by the Spanish, often on buttons of the soldier’s uniforms. There are usually five or more “blossom” features along each side of a traditional squash blossom necklace. It made its way Northward with the Spanish/Mexicans where the Navajo encountered it and started using it in jewelry designs. The Spanish learned much of their horse culture from the Moors and subsequently brought the symbol with them to the New World. Historians believe the most direct lineage however, as to how it became a central part of a Native American style necklace is this: The Moors, used the symbol as one of protection, it adorned the bridles of their horse’s brow-bands. It is a symbol identified in cultures dating back to the middle east and prehistoric times, with each culture interpreting it slightly different. The naja refers to the crescent-shaped pendant which hangs from most squash blossom necklaces. Today, they are an iconic piece of Native American style jewelry.Īrguably, the most recognizable part of a squash blossom necklace is the “naja” (usually pronounce something like, nadga). Squash blossom necklaces were first made by the Navajo in the late 1800s and produced soon thereafter by other Native groups as well. ![]() It identifies us as a person who knows this land and the history that comes with it.” Jim Olson, Western Trading Post, as quoted in an article by Western Ag Life Magazine, Fall 2018. “The squash blossom necklace is uniquely Southwestern, much like the bolo tie. ![]()
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