If you see this message, your browser is unable to view the answers through dynamic HTML. The answers to the questions are:

  1. Where do you see straight lines in this ketoh? (Two straight lines extend vertically from the center, four straight lines make up the edges of the rectangular ketoh.)
  2. Where do you see curved lines? (Four curved lines radiate from the center to each of the four corners, two small curved lines branch off from each of the straight lines extending from the center.)
  3. How has the artist marked the center of this ketoh? (With an INLAID turquoise oval.)
  4. How has the artist who made this ketoh divided it into four parts? (Four curved lines radiate from the center to the edges.)
  5. Is this ketoh symmetrical or asymmetrical? (Symmetrical.)
  6. What do you think caused this evolution? (When Navajo were forced onto government reservations, their traditional way of life changed. They no longer practiced archery because they could no longer hunt freely, but many of their traditional art forms were valued as trade items.)
  7. What other examples of symmetry do you see? (Faces, our bodies, the number 8, desks, chairs, etc.)
  8. Why might it be important for male and female to be balanced entities? (The balance of male and female ensures reproduction in plant, animal, and human life as well as harmony and happiness.)
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Ketoh (Wrist Guard)



Discussion Questions:

Ketoh (Wrist Guard)
Ketoh (Wrist Guard)
About 1930
Cast silver with turquoise on a leather band
Bequest of Virginia Doneghy

Key Ideas
Story
Background
Discussion Questions

Look

  1. Where do you see straight lines in this ketoh? Two straight lines extend vertically from the center, four straight lines make up the edges of the rectangular ketoh.
    Where do you see curved lines? Four curved lines radiate from the center to each of the four corners, two small curved lines branch off from each of the straight lines extending from the center.

  2. In the story, When the six beings rose into each of the four worlds, they always emerged at the center.
    How has the artist marked the center of this ketoh? With an INLAID turquoise oval.
    Begochiddy brought order out of chaos in the Fourth World by dividing it into four quadrants, marking each with a mountain.
    How has the artist who made this ketoh divided it into four parts? Four curved lines radiate from the center to the edges.

Rollover the image to see the line of symmetry from the Ketoh Wrist Guard

Symmetry Symmetry
  1. SYMMETRICAL balance is an exact balanced arrangement of forms on both sides of an imaginary line through the center of an object. ASYMMETRICAL balance is an arrangement of forms that do not appear the same on both sides of the imaginary center line.
    Is this ketoh symmetrical or asymmetrical? Symmetrical.

Think

  1. Discuss the history of the Navajo people. Ketohs were originally worn by Navajo archers to protect their forearms from the snap of the bowstring. The designs of the ketohs became more intricate as they evolved into the purely decorative form of jewelry they are today.
    What do you think caused this evolution? When Navajo were forced onto government reservations, their traditional way of life changed. They no longer practiced archery because they could no longer hunt freely, but many of their traditional art forms were valued as trade items.

  2. The artist who made the ketoh balanced it SYMMETRICALLY. It is an exact balanced arrangement of forms on both sides of an imaginary line through its center. Look around your classroom.
    What other examples of symmetry do you see? Faces, our bodies, the number 8, desks, chairs, etc.

  3. The Navajo ideals of order, balance, and harmony are encompassed in the concept of hózhó, which roughly means "beauty." Hózhó is represented in art through balanced, SYMMETRICAL, centralized designs like that of this ketoh. How do we experience the presence or absence of order, balance, and harmony in our lives? How do you feel when you don't get enough sleep? How do you feel when you don't get enough to eat? When you eat too much?

  4. In Navajo art, curved lines SYMBOLIZE the female ideal of activity, and straight lines symbolize the male ideal of stasis. The artist who made this ketoh carefully balanced curved and straight lines in the design.
    Why might it be important for male and female to be balanced entities? The balance of male and female ensures reproduction in plant, animal, and human life as well as harmony and happiness.
Key Ideas Story Background Discussion Questions
 
 

 

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