Concho (ornament)



A concho or concha is a typically oval silver ornament found in Native American art. Conchos are most closely associated with the Navajo people, with one of the best known forms being the concho belt.

Conchos were first made by eastern tribes such as the Delaware and Shawnee, whose craftsmen learned their trade from European artisans. Following their resettlement in Oklahoma in the 1830s, they passed the art form on to Plains tribes including the Comanche, Kiowa and Ute, who in turn introduced it to the Navajo of the Southwest. The Navajo later began making conchos around the 1870s to 1880s, after they had learned the craft of silversmithing from Rio Grande Mexican peoples. The name concho comes from concha, the Spanish word for 'seashell'.