Hobbies And Interests
The Clay
Native clay is dug up from proprietary areas, and any observable impurities are removed. Then it is reconstituted and rolled into thick, long clay strings. The strings are coiled on top of each other to build the walls of the pot. Once it is the desired height, the clay is smoothed outside and inside into one uniform piece. The other method of forming pots is to carve out a large clay ball with pottery tools passed down from earlier Hopi generations.
The Process
Once the clay pot is formed, it is dried for three to seven days. Then the Hopi artist covers the pot in whitewash and paints patterns on the vessel using natural colors derived from minerals and plants. It may take 40 hours to reach this stage. The critical stage is firing. If done the old way over burning sheep or cow dung, many of the pots may have internal flaws that cause them to explode. Surviving pottery can be as rare as it is beautiful!
Nampeyo and Other Artists
In the 1870s, the potter Nampeyo ushered in the rebirth of geometric Hopi pottery when she created bold, unique designs that were influenced by the beautiful Anasazi pottery fragments she witnessed at excavation sites. The Victorians were mesmerized by the artistic Hopi pottery, and Nampeyo soon found her pottery to be a prime source of income for her and her family. Other Hopi families also began making pottery to sell to tourists. All of this pottery commands high prices from collectors today.
An Endangered Tradition
Today, each pottery-making clan has distinct patterns and styles that easily identify them as the makers. Some are even artist-signed, taking the guesswork out of identification. Unfortunately, fewer Hopi Indians are choosing to learn the pottery-making craft in each new generation. Those that do find that an eager market for their wares can command high prices in galleries, but because it is such a labor-intensive art form, it is rapidly becoming endangered.