Handmade Mexico Huichol Star Theme Green Beadwork Nierika, "Spiraling Jade"

Centered by a six-sided star, this radiant nierika, or votive beadwork composition, takes the shape of a flower with five wide petals. Cool green permeates the design by Kupihuate in bold contrast to the fiery reds and yellows.

The artisan, who writes fluently in the Huichol, Nahuatl, Spanish and English languages, talks about this work in his own words. "In the mythology, that is the tissue itself of our indigenous ancestral cultures, the souls of our ancestors in their last transformation become crystalline stones. Jade is precisely the presence of the perennial spirit of our primordial marine waters. For that reason, with its rich diversity of colors, jade is present marking the route from the African continent to our continent, passing on its way through the Asian continent. The double spirals represent the endless energy of our body, and the central design means that we are made entirely of star material."

The intricate images are formed with tiny seed beads. Kupihuate patiently places them one at a time with a needle made of abalone shell onto a huanacaxtle wood backing. Beeswax is used instead of glue.

The process is totally spontaneous, with no previous sketch or design. It is guided by the artist's unconscious to tell the stories that remain in our collective ancestral memory. He signs his work with the symbol of a butterfly on the reverse side of the nierika.