This belt is from 1980s. I was told by the woman I purchased it from in Santa Fe that it had been made by a local. I don’t remember the name or which tribe.
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I can’t find that mark. It is a nice piece. Looking closely at the cut out work, it’s not perfectly symmetrical so I feel sure it was done by hand. And I would also assume it to be Hopi as this style is called Hopi Overlay.
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I believe that’s it. Join the club, I’ve got 3 in the same category of documented but unknown.
Good job finding that @Q-tea!
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Yes, that is really similar. I bought the belt in 1987 exactly because I thought it was so beautiful!
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Thank you for replying. I thought Hopi, too, but I have absolutely no expertise in this!
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Hi there, which one are you thinking is the similar mark? Thank you!
Hi! in the photo above its listed under OL2 … the little man with skinny arms, looks very similar to her belt buckle hallmark…
Now I see it. Thank you!
I can’t really see the texture in the black areas of the cutouts. If you can get a really close and clear magnification; then look for hatch marks in the cutout. This is a really good way to identify Hopi, or lack of the marks to identify Navajo. Hopi Example below.
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I don’t see clearly defined hatch marks like in your picture. I had a lot of trouble trying to get a picture, but the best one is below.
I would guess this is a Navajo made Hopi overlay style belt. Some of the symbols are not what we think about in a Hopi piece, like the Peyote bird and roadrunner. Plus, what has already been pointed out, the etching you typically see in a Hopi piece in the oxidized part of the piece.
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