Pair of Hopi Young Boys Moccasins [SOLD]

When Bonnie Balcomb Lee’s son was born around 1970, his grandmother, Frances Balcomb, gave him this pair of moccasins, which his mom put away and did not let him wear.  They are in new condition. They were made by a Hopi Pueblo native craftsman.

The Hopi have lived on three mesas in northeastern Arizona for more than 1,000 years. Today they live in 12 separate villages on or below the three Mesas. The Hopi language is part of the Uto-Aztecan language group, one of the largest Native American Language groups.

On First Mesa, a group of relative newcomers from the Rio Grande Tewa Pueblos speak the Tewa Language. One of these Hopi-Tewas is the famous potter Nampeyo. Along with her daughters Fannie Nampeyo, Nellie Douma and Annie Healing, she created some of the most beautiful pottery made at the time.

The name Hopi is a shortened form of the Hopi word for themselves: Hopituh Shi-nu-mu ("The Peaceful People" or "Peaceful Little Ones"). The Hopi Dictionary gives the primary meaning of the word "Hopi" as: "behaving one, one who is mannered, civilized, peaceable, polite, who adheres to the Hopi way." 

Traditionally the Hopi are highly skilled farmers.  They grow corn, beans, squash and melons. The Hopi also participate in the wider cash economy; a significant number of Hopi have mainstream jobs; others earn a living by creating high-quality Hopi art, notably the carving of Kachina dolls, the expert crafting of clothing, pottery, and the design and production of fine jewelry, especially sterling silver. 

Condition: this Pair of Hopi Young Boys Moccasins is in excellent condition

Provenance: from a daughter of Frances Balcomb, owner of several galleries of Native art, the last one closed in the early 1970s.

Recommended Reading: Ceremonial Costumes of the Pueblo Indians: Their Evolution, Fabrication, and Significance in the Prayer Drama by Suzanne Abel-Vidor