Migration Pattern Jar by Tonita Nampeyo [SOLD]

This polychrome jar was created by Hopi-Tewa potter Tonita Hamilton Nampeyo. It's a low, wide seed jar with a small rim, which turns up and flares outward more dramatically than that of a historic example. The vessel is well-balanced and symmetrical, with no visible flaws or imperfections of any kind.

Tonita decorated the exterior with the migration pattern, which represents the migration of the Hopi people through four worlds. The pattern fills a wide design band that reaches from just above the base to just below the neck. Thick black framing lines appear above and below the migration pattern band. The designs suit the vessel quite well, as does the color palette.

The bottom of the jar is signed Tonita Nampeyo and marked with her pueblo clan's corn symbol hallmark.

Tonita Hamilton Nampeyo (1934-2020) was the daughter of Fannie Polacca Nampeyo and granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano. She continued making pottery in the traditional manner, using Sikyatki revival patterns, as taught her by her mother and grandmother. She was awarded "Best Traditional Hopi Pottery" at the 1984 Santa Fe Indian Market and has won many awards at the annual Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market. She is represented in the collection of the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Migration Pattern Jar by Tonita Nampeyo is from a private collection

Recommended Reading: Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham