Bolo Ties

Adopted within the past century by the Native American tribes of the Zuni, Navajo, Hopi and Rio Grande pueblos, the bolo tie, originally invented during the 1930s by white men of the Southwest, displays the creativity and adaptation of the aforementioned Native American tribes. The importance of the bolo tie in connection with the inhabitants of the Southwest is apparent considering both Arizona and New Mexico claim the bolo tie as their official state necktie, and it is commonly used by both Native Americans and white men alike. Worn as an alternative to conventional neckwear such as business neck and bow ties, the bolo tie deserves equal treatment as art and jewelry.

Worn beneath the shirt collar, the bolo tie consists of a braided leather strip or thong held in place by passing its metal-tipped ends, referred to as bolo tips, through the elaborately adorned bolo slide, then gently tightened against the wearer’s neck. Once completely braided, the ends or tips of the leather strip become fashioned with a small piece of v-shaped silver, tightly crimped to better remain in place. The silver bolo tips can be plain or stamped and adorned with or without stones. The bolo slide varies in geometric, humanistic, nonhuman and animalistic forms, ranging from ovals, squares and human dancers, to bears and birds. With silver as the major metal for the bolo slide and the bolo tips, it is only natural that the silver and design work remains consistent with the individual styles of independent tribes.

Already experienced in fashioning jewelry into desired pieces of art, the silversmith skills necessary in creating sliver earrings, necklaces, rings and concho belts easily transferred to the manufacturing and design of the bolo slide and bolo tips. For example, the inlay skills associated with Zuni, such as channel and mosaic work, provide a stunning look to bolo ties while maintaining masculinity. The Zuni decorate the bolo slides with mosaic pieces of turquoise as well as multicolored geometric inlay patterns of jade, coral and mother of pearl. The Navajo, known for designing the silver around the centerpiece stone in rings and bracelets, apply the same practice to bolo slides, by centering large and beautiful stones of turquoise or Mediterranean coral on patterns varying from ovals to squares. Although bolo ties were developed by white men, the eventual integration of Native American aesthetic ideas with the bolo tie’s practical use combine to form a piece of beautiful but functional art.