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Burel Hughes Naha
Hopi - Tewa

Burel Hughes Naha, “Long Hair Kachina”, member of the Spider Clan was born into the Hopi-Tewa Reservation in 1944. He was inspired to learn the art of traditional pottery making at the age of 7 from his famous Mother, the late Helen Naha.

Burel specializes in the handmade traditional Hopi pottery, but he has created his own unique style. He enjoys painting spiders with intricate web designs all around his pottery. The earlier designs that he used were Helen’s until his daughter, Cynthia Naha brought home a computerized photo of a spider which she drew. Cynthia told him that they were drawing insects and spiders in class. He was hypnotized by the design and late one night he couldn’t get the spider out of his thoughts. He decided to experiment with the spider pattern on his pottery and this is where his idea was originated from. People refer to him as Spider-man. Burel received his BA at Brigham Young University . He was a teacher for many years and now has dedicated his life to his wonderful uniquely painted pottery. Burel credits his success to his mother for teaching him the traditional ways of their ancestors. Now he can also teach his children so that they may continue the Hopi traditions and won't get lost and forgotten. Burel signs his pottery as: Long Hair Kachina (symbol), followed by a feather design.

Burel comes from a long line of famous potters which includes: the famous Sylvia Naha, Rainell Naha (sisters), the famous Paqua Naha (grandmother), and the famous Joy “Frogwoman”.Navasie (aunt).

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair 1st and 2nd Place
- Gallup Ceremonial 1st and 2nd Place

Publications:

-Art of the Hopi
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies

Burel has pottery displayed in many museum art collections

Sylvia Naha Humphrey
Hopi-Tewa
deceased 1999

Sylvia Naha Humphrey, member of the Spider Clan, was born in 1951 into the Hopi-Tewa Reservation. She is the grand daughter of the late “Paqua Naha”, who was among the most famous and prolific Hopi-Tewa potters to ever have lived. Paqua’s first name means “frog” in the Spanish language. She is known as “Frog Woman”. Sylvia is also the daughter of the late Helen Naha “Feather Woman”.

Sylvia specializes in hand coiled Hopi white slip pottery. She learned all the fundamentals of traditional pottery making from her mother, Helen “Feather Woman” Naha .

Sylvia gathers her clay and other materials from the Hopi lands including natural pigments used for color on her pottery. She cleans, mixes, shapes, sands, paints, and fires her pottery outdoors, the traditional way with sheep dung. Many of the designs Sylvia paints on her pottery are Helen’s but she will incorporate them with her own. Sylvia signs her pottery as: A feather symbol followed by a letter “S”. Burel Naha (brother), Joy “Frog Woman II”Navasie (aunt), Dee Setalla (cousin), Eunice “Fawn” Navasie, and Dawn Navasie (cousin) are among some of the famous potters that Sylvia is related to.

Publications:

-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies
-Southwestern Pottery 1999 Edition

Adelle Lalo-Nampeyo
Hopi-Tewa

Adelle Lalo-Nampeyo was born into the Hopi-Tewa Nation in 1959. She is one of the great granddaughters of the famous “Nampeyo”, known for reviving and expanding the beautiful ancient style of pottery called Sikyatki. She was inspired to learn the art of pottery making from her Mother, the late Elva Nampeyo. She has been making pottery since 1979.

Adelle specializes in the handmade traditional ancient Sikyatki polychrome pottery which her family is famous for. All of her materials are from Mother Earth. She hand coils all of her pottery the traditional way. She enjoys making seed pots most of all because they are easier to work with. Her favorite design is the fine line and eagle tail. She strongly believes that she needs to continue making pottery the traditional way because of her strong spiritual beliefs. Adelle is now teaching her children the art that her ancestors have taught her so that they can continue in her foot steps.

Adelle signs her pottery as: Adelle L. Nampeyo, followed by a corn symbol to proudly denote her clan origin.

Awards:

- Gallup Ceremonial

Publications:

-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery

Nyla “Nampeyo” Sahmie
Hopi

Nyla “Nampeyo” Sahmie, member of the Corn Clan, was born in 1954 into the Hopi Reservation. She was taught the art of constructing Hopi pottery, using ancient traditional methods, passed down to her from her mother, Priscilla Namingha-Nampeyo. Nyla began experimenting with pottery at the age of 13. She has continued this long lived family tradition just like her ancestors have before her. Her goal is to become one of the finest potters ever just like the famed Nampeyo. Nyla is a fifth generation of Nampeyo potters currently working with clay.

Nyla specializes in hand coiled yellow-orange traditional pottery. She gathers her clay, grinds it down, cleans the clay, mixes, hand coils, sands, paints her designs, and fires the pottery, outdoors, with sheep dung. Her favorite patterns to paint are: migrations, double hummingbirds, and flowers. She recently has begun to hand coiling very large olla pots. Nyla stated, “Making pottery has come naturally to me and I am honored to be a member of one of the most famous Native American Family names”. She signs her pottery as: Nyla ||||| Nampeyo, followed by a corn symbol to denote her Clan origin.

Nyla currently is working with children at local Elementary Schools and High Schools in her area, educating the youth about the Hopi heritage and culture. She does this so that the tradition of the Hopi ways of life are continued and not forgotten.

Awards:

-Eighth Northern Arts and Crafts Show

Publications:

-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies

Dusty Naranjo
Santa Clara

Dusty Naranjo was born in 1968 into the Santa Clara Pueblo. She is the daughter of Bernice Naranjo. Dusty learned how to hand coil traditional pottery when she was approximately twenty years old. Dusty was inspired to learn the art of pottery making by observing her Mother, and her Brother, Forest Naranjo, both well know pottery artists from the Santa Clara Pueblo.

Dusty chose to continue hand coiling the sienna firing style, which is a color in-between that of the traditional Santa Clara black and red. The sienna style, or technique is the style the “Naranjo Family” is well known for making. This is a contemporary style started in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, however, this style is now considered a staple style from the Santa Clara Pueblo. She gathers her natural pigments from within the hills of the Santa Clara Pueblo and uses traditional methods while making her fine masterpieces. Dusty etches animals, geometric designs, and symbols on her pottery to add a bit of contemporary flare to her traditional pottery. She signs her pottery as: Dusty.

Publications:

-Collections of Southwestern Pottery
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair
- Santa Fe Indian Market

Forrest Naranjo
Santa Clara

Forrest Naranjo was born in 1963 into the Santa Clara Pueblo. He was economically motivated to learn the art of pottery making. He began making pottery back in 1986 at the age of 23. He also was inspired to hand coil pottery by his creativity.

Forrest specializes in the handmade Sienna style or technique, which the Naranjo family is known for today. The Sienna firing is a color in between that of the traditional black or red, which was started back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It is now referred to as the Staple style from the Santa Clara Pueblo. Forrest mixes, hand coils, shapes, etches, and fires his pottery the traditional way, outdoors. His etching will include animals, feathers, and many different creative designs which he imagines. He also shapes his clay into bear sculptures, which he is well known for and enjoys making. He signs his pottery as: Forrest. Forrest is related to Bernice Naranjo (mother) and Dusty Naranjo (sister).

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair
- Gallup Indian Ceremonial

Publications:

-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Miniature Arts of the Southwest
-Collections of Southwestern Pottery
- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Glenda Naranjo
Santa Clara -Tewa

Glenda Naranjo, “Cloth Stick Flower”, is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1953 into the Santa Clara-Tewa Pueblo. Glenda was inspired to continue the long lived tradition of hand coiling pottery from her late mother, Flora Naranjo. Flora taught Glenda all the fundamentals of working with clay and using ancient methods to construct her pottery. Glenda has been working with clay since the age of 10. The lucrative aspect of the business also played a key roll in her becoming a clay artist.

Glenda specializes in hand coiling traditional black on black and red Santa Clara pottery. She gathers her clay from the grounds within the Santa Clara Pueblo. Glenda soaks the clay, grinds it to a sandy grain, hand mixes, hand coils, hand shapes, hand carves, and fires her finished product the traditional way, outdoors, with horse dung. Her patterns include the Water Serpent and Feather diagrams. She hand coils a wide variety of sizes and shapes of traditional pottery. Glenda enjoys working with clay and feels that in doing so, she proudly adds to the art world and continues the long lived legacy of her people. She currently is also teaching her immediate family to construct the beautiful pottery that her Pueblo is famous for making. She signs her pottery as: Glenda Naranjo, SCP. Glenda is related to: Frances Salazar, Barbara Martinez, Vickie Martinez, and Sammy Naranjo.

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair 1st Place
- New Mexico State Fair 2nd Place
- New Mexico State Fair 3rd Place
- Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd Place

Publications:

- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Kevin Naranjo
Santa Clara

Kevin Naranjo, “ Turquoise Mountain ”, was born into the Santa Clara Pueblo in 1972. He was inspired to learn and continue the long lived tradition of hand coiling pottery at the age of 10 back in 1982, by his family and his love for nature.

Kevin specializes in the hand coiled black/sienna Santa Clara pottery. He crafts traditional designs with wildlife scenery's on the exterior of the pottery. The first piece he ever made was a dinosaur, and then he sparked an interest in molding animal figurines. Kevin gathers his own clay from the sacred grounds within Santa Clara Pueblo. He hand mixes, coils, shapes, crafts, and fires his pottery the traditional way, outdoors. Kevin signs his pottery as: Kevin Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo.

Kevin is related to the following artists: Dolores Curran (aunt), Geri Naranjo (mother), and the late Ursulita Naranjo (grandmother).

Awards:

-1995 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st & 3rd
-1997 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st & 2nd
-1998 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st place
-1999 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st & 2nd Place
-1999 New Mexico State Fair 2nd Place

Publications:

- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies
-August 1996 Indian Trader Magazine

Madeline E. Naranjo and Adrian Garcia
Santa Clara-Tewa

Madeline E. Naranjo and Adrian Garcia are full blooded Native American Indians. Madeline was born in 1971 and Adrian was born in 1973. They are both members of the Santa Clara-Tewa Pueblo. They were both taught the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional pottery using the methods of their ancient ancestors. They were also influenced by many of their family members to continue a long lived family tradition. Julie Gutierrez also had a big impact on their decision to become artisans. Madeline & Adrian have been working together as a team since 1989.

Madeline & Adrian specialize in hand coiling traditional Santa Clara , but adding their unique contemporary flare. They gather their clay from within the grounds of the Santa Clara Pueblo. They clean, mix, hand coil, shape, etch, polish, and fire their pottery, outdoors with horse manure. The designs they chose to create are those of nature scenes, because of the respect and the love they both have for the planet and all that it has to offer.

They are related to the following artists: Effie Garcia (mother) and Madeline Naranjo (grandmother). They sign their pottery as: Adrian Garcia & Madeline E. Naranjo, SCP.

Awards:

-1992 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st place
-1994 Santa Fe Indian Market 3rd place
-1995 Santa Fe Indian Market 3rd place
-1996 Santa Fe Indian Market 3rd place
-1997 Santa Fe Indian Market Honorable Mention

Publications:

-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Karen Naranjo-Samaniego
Navajo

Karen Naranjo-Samaniego is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born into the Navajo Reservation in 1967. Karen began creating Santa Clara pottery at the age of 19. Karen attended Brigham Young University and decided to take a break from college for the summer and visit her father, Wilson Price, Jr., in Santa Fe , N.M. During her visit, she met Forrest Naranjo and fell madly in love with him and they eventually married. Bernice Suazo-Naranjo (ex mother-in-law) taught Karen & Forrest the fundamentals of working with clay. Continuing long lived traditions is extremely important to Karen. She stated “I practice my skills as a potter, because a part of myself goes into every piece of art which I create. Thus, I am adding to the long lived legacy of my ancestors.”

Karen gathers her clay from the Santa Clara Pueblo. She breaks the clumps of clay to a fine powder form and mixes clay with other natural pigments. Karen hand forms and hand polishes every piece she makes. She also fires her pottery the traditional way, outdoors. Mother Earth provides her with all the ingredients to allow her to make her own art. Karen signs her pottery as: Karen Naranjo Samaniego.

Publications:

-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies
-Collections of Southwestern Pottery

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair
- Santa Fe Indian Market
- Pueblo Grand, Phoenix , AZ
-Haskel Indian Market, Lawrence , KS

Thomas G. Natseway
Laguna

Thomas G. Natseway is a full blooded Native American Indian. He was born on April 19, 1953 into the Laguna Pueblo. He was taught all the fundamentals of constructing handmade pottery using the ancient traditional hand coiling method by his relatives and his wife, Charmae from the Acoma Pueblo. He began his career as a journalist and while interviewing Charmae he fell in love and shortly after married her.

Thomas specializes in hand coiled and hand painted miniature pottery. he gathers all the raw clays and natural vegetation from within the Acoma and Laguna Pueblo. He breaks down the raw clumps into a fine powder from and hand mixes with water. Once the clay is mixed to a fine medium he begins rolling out the moist clay into snake like coils and begins building the desired forms. His pieces are so difficult to construct because a finger usually doesn’t fit inside the lip of the vessels. He hand paints each piece carefully and fires his pottery in a kiln. He signs his pottery as: Thomas Natseway. He is related to: Charmae Natseway (wife), and Peter & Betty Natseway (parents).

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Santa Fean Magazine 1999
-American Indian Art Magazine 1992
-Indian Market Magazine 1985, 1988, 1989, 1996
-SWAIA Quarterly 1982

Awards:

-1999 Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd Place
-1998 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st & 2nd Place
-1996 Santa Fe Indian Market ( 3) 2nd Place
-1995 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Class
-1993 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place
-1992 Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd & ( 2) 3rd Place
-1991 Santa Fe Indian Market (2) 1st & ( 2) 2nd Place
-1989 Santa Fe Indian Market 1st & ( 2) 2nd Place

Dawn Navasie
Hopi-Tewa

Dawn Navasie, “Polaquimana” (Red Tail Hawk), member of the Water Clan, was born into the Hopi-Tewa Reservation in 1961. She was inspired to continue the family tradition of pottery making from her extremely famous Mother, the late Eunice “Fawn” Navasie. Fawn taught Dawn all the fundamentals of making traditional Hopi pottery at the age of 4. Dawn would assist her mother with her pottery and thus inspired her to learn. Dawn began perfecting her pottery making skills at the age of 17.

Dawn specializes in handmade traditional Hopi style pottery. She prefers making the larger ollas (larger pots) because they have more room to paint her favorite designs of mythical rainbirds and rain clouds. She also paints moths, weather symbols, and elements of the earth. Natural minerals and vegetables like wild bee plant, hematite, and red clay are used for coloration. Firing is done in the traditional manner using sheep dung as fuel. Dawn is a superb artist in the Hopi-Tewa tradition. She paints with a sure hand and has a design vision that recalls the beauty and quality of her mother’s work (original Fawn). Dawn signs her pottery as: Dawn Navasie, followed by a water symbol to denote her clan origin.

Dolly Joe “White Swann” Navasie (sister), Eunice “Fawn” Navasie” (mother),

Darrell Navasie, and Gregory Navasie (brothers

and Fawn Garcia Navasie, sister, formerly “Little Fawn” are among some of the many other artists that Dawn is related to.

Awards:

- Gallup Ceremonial 1st Place
-Hopi Guild 1st Place
- Museum of Northern Arizona 1st place

Publications:

-1996 Arizona Highways magazine
-Art of the Hopi
-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies

Dolly Joe Navasie
Hopi-Tewa

Dolly Joe Navasie, “White Swann”, member of the water clan, was born in 1964 into the Hopi-Tewa Reservation. She is the daughter of the famous Eunice “Fawn” Navasie. White Swann was taught all the fundamentals of traditional pottery making at the age of 6, from her maternal Grandmother, Poli-Ini. The famous, late Eunice “Fawn” Navasie (mother), taught White Swann how to paint traditional designs at the age of 17.

White Swann specializes in the handmade traditional Hopi pottery. All of her pottery is made from Mother Earth.The pottery is coiled the traditional way and fired outdoors with sheep dung. She uses a yucca, in which she fashions into a paint brush, to paint her intricate designs. Iron oxide rock is used for the maroon coloration, whereas the yellow clay provides the orange finish. She uses a polishing stone to polish her pottery that was passed down to her from Poli-ini (grandmother). White Swann is a strong believer in continuing family traditions. She is proud of making pottery because it is the way of life that has been passed down to her from her ancestors. She currently is mentoring her children so that they can take part of a tradition in which she is proud to be a part of, and hope that they will continue this unique style of art which she holds dear to her heart. She signs her pottery as: White Swann, followed by a graceful swan symbol.

White Swann was born into a gifted family of famous potters which includes: The late Eunice “Fawn” (mother), “Little Fawn” Navasie, Dawn Navasie (sisters), Darrell Navasie, Greg Navasie (brothers), and The famous Joy “2nd Frogwoman” Navasie.

Publications:

-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Art of the Hopi
-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies

Awards:

-American Indian & Relic Show 1st
-Hopi Tu-tsootsvolla Sedona AZ 1st
- Pasadena Original American Indian
-Other too numerous to list

Joy (originally Yellow Flower)“Frogwoman” Navasie
Hopi

Joy (originally Yellow Flower)“Frogwoman” Navasie, member of the Kachina Clan, was born in 1919 into the Hopi/Tewa Reservation. She is the daughter of the famous Paqua (original Frogwoman) Naha , who was credited for originating the white slip elegant styled Hopi pottery. Paqua’s trademark was the frog symbol and it was passed down to Joy in 1939. Joy’s frog symbol has long webbed feet, while Paqua’s had short toes. Joy has been using her trademark since the age of 20. Joy is one of the most prolific and finest Hopi potters of today. She learned all the traditional methods of pottery making from her mother. Joy’s career as a potter began in 1935.

Joy specializes in traditional styled white slip Hopi pottery. All of the steps used to make her pottery are taught the traditional way, from gathering clay, cleaning, molding, coiling the pottery, slipping, polishing, painting, and finally the outdoor firing with sheep dung. Joy coils many shapes of pottery like: wedding vases, jars, and bowls. Joy taught her family members all of the knowledge that she acquired over the years, so that they may continue the tradition which her mother, Paqua, started back in 1935. Joy signs her pottery with a frog symbol.

Joy is related to many famous artist among them are: Burel Naha, Stetson Setalla, (nephews), Sylvia Naha, Fawn Navasie (nieces), Marianne Harrison, Loretta Navasie (daughters), and Charles Navasie (grandson).

Publications:

-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Art of the Hopi
-Southwest Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies
-Southwestern Pottery 1999 Edition

Joy has pottery displayed in several museums as well as private collections.

Marianne Navasie
Hopi-Tewa

Marianne Navasie is the daughter of famed Joy Navasie, and the grand-daughter of world renowned Paqua Naha , the original frog woman. Marianne was born in 1951, and has been making pottery since she was 18 years old. Although, Marianne was only three years old when her grandmother died, she does recall her and her mother always working with the clay. Marianne has mastered the white ware look pioneered by Paqua, and carried on by her mother, and now Marianne is continuing with the family tradition. Marianne stated, “ My Mother always pushed us to stay with traditional hand coiled pottery making methods, and to carry on the frog style.” One look at Marianne’s pottery and it is evident that she has mastered the art which was created by her ancestors. She gathers all her materials (natural pigments) from within the Hopi Reservation. Marianne cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, paints, and fires her pottery, outdoors, with sheep dung.

Marianne signs her pottery with the “Paqua”, (frog) symbol, but does put a tadpole next to it so it indicates her place within her family tree. Marianne is left handed so her work will move in the opposite direction of her mother‘s.

Awards:

- Santa Fe Indian Market
- New Mexico State Fair
-Gallup Indian Ceremonial 1st place
- Scottsdale Hopi Show
- Flagstaff Hopi Show

Publications:

-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Southwest Pottery for Anasazi to Zuni
-Collecting Southwestern Indian Arts and Crafts
-Cover of Gallup Ceremonial Brochure (1978)

Fawn Navasie-Garcia
Hopi - Tewa

Fawn Navasie-Garcia, “formerly Litte Fawn”, was born in 1959 into the Hopi Reservation. She was inspired to continue the family tradition of making pottery by her late Mother, the famous “Eunice (original Fawn) Navasie.” Eunice taught her all the fundamentals of traditional Hopi pottery making. Early on, Fawn specialized in the white slip pottery that her mother taught her to make, which according to Fawn is much more difficult to make. Fawn has been making pottery since 1979.

Fawn specializes in elegant polychrome buff or yellow slipped pottery. All of her materials are gathered within the Hopi Reservation, including the colors used on the pottery. She cleans the clay, mixes, hand-coils, shapes, sands, paints, and fires her pottery the traditional way, outdoors with sheep dung. Fawn coils a wide variety of shapes like wedding vases, egg shaped pots, and bowls. Her designs originate from the Sikyatki Ruins (yellow earth and it’s the name of a former village at the Hopi Reservation located two miles north of First Mesa). Fawn signs her pottery as: Fawn, followed by a fawn hoofprint.

Fawn is related to many prolific and famous artists among some of them are: Dawn Navasie, Dolly Joe Navasie (sisters), Stetson Setalla, Dee Setalla, Marianne Harrison, Burel Naha, Sylvia Naha (cousins), the late Eunice Navasie (mother), Helen Naha, Joy “Frogwoman” Navasie (aunts), and the late Paqua Naha (grandmother).

Awards:

-1999 New Mexico State Fair 4th Place
- Gallup Indian Ceremonial
- Santa Fe Indian Market
-Fountain Hills Arts & Crafts Show

Publications:

-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery