Hopi Polychrome Jar by Rachel Sahmie with Awatovi Red Clay

This jar was fired by Hopi master potter Rachel Sahmie in July 2021. The red clay is from a recent trip to the old Hopi village of Awatovi, which has been uninhabited since 1700, and is known for the great pottery its artists produced. The design on the jar references the designs from the ancient villages, as well as traditional Hopi avian themes with its eagle tail feathers and talons.

The jar measures 8 ½” height and 10 ½” diameter, and is signed with Rachel’s Hopi name “Nampeyo Koo Loo.”

Rachel Sahmie is a fifth generation Hopi potter, who learned pottery-making directly from her mother, Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo, and her grandmother, Rachel Namingha Nampeyo. The pottery-making has been passed down this way in their family from their grandmother Nampeyo (1856-1942) for six generations.