Underworld Serpent Pendant
Tribe: Hopi
Item #PP05712
Sterling silver overlay pendant featuring the Underworld Serpent surrounded by corn, flowers, and tadpoles, symbols of growth, fertility, and renewal in Hopi culture. The Underworld Serpent, also known as the Horned Water Serpent or Palulukoña, is a powerful spiritual being believed to dwell deep beneath the earth and within all bodies of water. He is associated with fertility and natural forces such as floods and earthquakes. According to Hopi tradition, the Water Serpent does not surface unless provoked by human misdeeds or summoned during sacred kiva ceremonies.
Rendered in Hopi overlay, the serpent winds upward through a landscape of corn and flowering plants, while tadpoles swim below, representing fertility. Victor Coochwytewa’s overlay technique brings refined balance, contrast, and sacred narrative to the composition. The pendant is hung on a 24-inch handmade Hopi link chain.
Part of the historic Kopavi Collection, this pendant has never been previously owned.
2.5” Width, 3.25” Height
24” Chain Length
- Era
- Circa 1970s
- Metal
- Sterling Silver
- Technique
- Overlay
About the artist
Master Hopi Silversmith, Waterhouse Clan – Shungopavi, Second Mesa Victor Coochwytewa is widely regarded as one of the most influential Hopi silversmiths of the 20th century. A master of overlay jewelry and a pillar...
See all pieces by Victor Coochwytewa →Family owned in Sedona since 1976
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