Date

5-10-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Turquoise is a distinctive part of the material culture of the Indigenous tribes of the American Southwest, including the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo peoples. The stone, particularly its color, is situated within complex systems of culture and meaning for each tribe, but the physical nature of material culture makes such pieces accessible for outsiders to borrow, buy, or steal. The aesthetic of the southwestern Indigenous tribe, traced in this paper through the use of turquoise, has been drawn upon by non-Native Westerners pursuing authenticity in their American lives. My findings suggest that true authenticity is marked by authentic engagement, and as aestheticization moves toward fetishization, the contextual cultural meaning is lost, replaced by superficial commercial value. I conclude that those seeking authenticity through Indigenous cultures should consider matching their aesthetic interests with actual engagement that seeks to achieve mutually beneficial ends.

Department

English

Thesis Comittee

Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson, Thesis Advisor

Dr. Lee Torda, Committee Member

Dr. Diana J. Fox, Committee Member

Copyright and Permissions

Original document was submitted as an Honors Program requirement. Copyright is held by the author.

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