Jean Sahme Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa Potter

Hopi/Tewa artist Jean Sahme Nampeyo has a very artistic style of creating designs on pottery. She does not hesitate to select parts of traditional, prehistoric Sikyatki design elements and to arrange them in a most artistic and pleasing manner.

Jean Sahme Nampeyo (1948 – ) Sak’Honsee - Tobacco Flower Girl is a daughter of Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo and the granddaughter of Rachel Namingha Nampeyo. Her great grandmother was Annie Healing Nampeyo, whose mother was Nampeyo of Hano.  Jean has seven siblings, all of whom are potters or Katsina doll carvers. Her brothers and sisters are Nyla Sahmie, Rachel Sahmie, Bonnie Chapella, Randy Sahmie, Andrew Sahmie, Foster Sahmie and Finkle Sahmie. Jean is the only member of the family who signs her name Sahme rather than Sahmie.  

In addition to her native name Sak'Honseeirl she signs with a corn plant and a fish.  In the corn plant stalk represents the Hopi Pueblo Corn Clan of which Jean is a member. The four leaves represent her two children and her two grandchildren whom Jean mentored. Jean started potting 1965 but is no longer producing pottery.  Her work can be found in various galleries, private collections, museums, colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. In 2014 Jean became an Arizona Living Treasure.

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

TAGS: Hopi/Tewa, Priscilla Namingha Nampeyo, Rachel Namingha Nampeyo, Annie Healing Nampeyo, Nampeyo of Hano, Rachel Sahmie, Andrew Sahmie, Southwest Indian Pottery, Nyla Sahmie