Ketoh (Bow Guard)

From the exhibition:
Turquoise, Water, Sky: The Stone and Its Meaning

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Ketohs, or bow guards, were traditionally worn to protect an archer’s arm from the sting of a released bowstring; today, they are worn as decoration. This ketoh (circa 1912) pairs two glass cabochons with one of real turquoise. So-called Hubbell glass was imported into the region during a period when turquoise was difficult to acquire. Artists used it because it had the right color, but tourists rejected it as “fake.” (Courtesy of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology. Photograph by Kitty Leaken.)

Usage: Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

Credit: Photo Kitty Leaken


Note: Representative image at left is often cropped for display purposes. Downloaded high-resolution images are not cropped.