Brian May Wore A New Mexico Artist’s Bolo Tie At Golden Globes
Queen guitarist Brian May got to take home a Golden Globe last weekend but fans in New Mexico noticed something else on his outfit that night. The Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a big winner at the Golden Globes with star Rami Malek walking away with the Best Actor in a Drama award and the movie winning the Best Drama prize. While onstage accepting the award, Queen guitarist Brian May wore a beautiful bolo tie that had a symbol on it that many Zuni Pueblo Native Americans are familiar with. The bolo tie featured a beautiful Sunface symbol, an ancient cultural symbol of the Zuni people in New Mexico. According to Shumakolowa the Sunface symbol represents the Sun Father and is a good luck symbol,
"The Zuni have always honored the Sun’s vital role in the cycling of seasons and the success of crops, recognizing that the Sun’s warmth sustains life, enables growth, and brings joy and prosperity to the people."
New Mexico News station KRQE spoke to the bolo tie's creator, Zuni artist April Unkestine. Unkestine said her husband was the one who noticed May was wearing her design onstage. Since the news broke, Unkestine says it's been overwhelming all the public attention around her artwork but she's happy.
"I don't even know how to explain it. It's just a good feeling. It gives me a lot of pride to work all this stuff that I do and to go around and see not just celebrities but different people wear my artwork."
The owner of KESHi, the Zuni Connection in Santa Fe, Bronwyn Fox, told KRQE Brian May purchased the bolo tie from her store over the holidays. You can check out the KRQE website to find out other locations across New Mexico that April Unkestine sells her artwork.