Polychrome Eagle Tail Jar by Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo

This well-composed jar was made by Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo sometime before 1988, as that is the date it was purchased by a previous collector. The jar rests on a base about the size of a silver dollar and balances beautifully and solidly. The design is a variation of the Sikyatki "eagle tail," with variations chosen by Rachel. Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo helped revive and popularize the traditional Hopi eagle tail design, infusing it with her unique artistic interpretation while honoring the ancestral motifs.

The jar is stone polished along the rim and the rest of the entire body. Over the polished tan clay color, the design repeats four times around the vessel, filling the area down to the mid-body of the vessel. The remainder of the vessel features only polished clay. This blending of traditional design with contemporary artistry makes Rachel's work stand out. She signed this vessel as RS Nampeyo.

Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo (1956-2022) Koo-Loo was a daughter of Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo and had been an active potter since around 1970. She had seven siblings, all of whom are potters or Katsina doll carvers. Her brothers and sisters are Nyla Sahmie, Jean Sahme, Bonnie Chapella, Randy Sahmie, Andrew Sahmie, Foster Sahmie, and Finkle Sahmie.

Hopi Pueblo artist Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo's specialty was Sikyatki Revival shapes and designs brought back into popularity by her great grandmother, Nampeyo of Hano. She was an accomplished potter as is evident by her success in creating flat top seed jars.  Rachel had been actively potting from about 1970 to 2022.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Polychrome Eagle Tail Jar by Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo is from the collection of a Santa Fe resident

Recommended Reading:

- Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

- Fourteen Families In Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham.

TAGS: Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo, Nyla Sahmie, Jean Sahme, Bonnie Chapella, Finkle Sahmie, Southwest Indian Pottery, Hopi Pueblo, Contemporary Pottery, Rachel Sahmie Nampeyo, Nampeyo of Hano