This item is made-to-order, lovingly hand-crafted on Sinixt Territory, in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia. Orders take 4 to 8 weeks. There's a piece in here with your name on it. ✨
ANITO SKULL PENDANT*, WEARABLE AMULET | 2021. Oxidized sterling silver; cast, hand-fabricated, hand-finished.
Item Description: This solid sterling silver skull pendant is cast using the ancient technique of lost wax casting and attached to a chain by a sterling silver wire 'halo.' Oxidized sterling silver chain available in 20" and 24"; use the drop down menu to select. Alternative chain styles & lengths available upon request use the contact page to request before you purchase.
INDIGENOUS MEANINGS
This pendant is meant to be an amulet, helping the wearer remember & channel the wisdom & strength of their ancestors. Anito, also spelled anitu, refers to ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities (diwata) present in many the indigenous animistic religions of pre-colonial Philippines. Anito can also represent carved humanoid figures that represent these spirits.
While Samonte was doing research for a long-term art project exploring the history of colonization in the Philippines, they came across the story of an indigenous Filipino from the Ifugao tribe. He kept the skull & bones of his ancestors, including his father, wrapped neatly in blankets under the floor of his hut.
This might sound creepy to some, but Samonte invites you to be curious about how this practice could prevent the disconnect & fear people sometimes experience around death. The blunt & inescapable realness of this approach might feel almost preferable to the distancing practice of embalming & burying-people-in-boxes-tradition, that many people in North America are raised with.
