This large water jar was created by the popular, famous woman named “Nampeyo” of the Hopi-Tewa tribal nation. Many see her as responsible for the revival of pueblo pottery (an indigenous art) during a time in American history when mainstream Americans considered Native Americans a “vanishing race.” She became a celebrity of her time who captivated the eyes and the pockets of tourists and collectors in the Southwest.

Nampeyo was born in approximately 1860 in Hopi, Arizona into the corn clan. As a child Nampeyo was diagnosed with an untreatable trachoma that would eventually cause her eyesight to diminish. She was never taught to read or write. Instead, she spent her time exploring lands around her village where her ancestors once lived. These lands were filled with pot shards that she took a liking to. The artistry and designs of her ancestor’s pottery fascinated her, and became her inspiration to the revival of her culture’s art and history.

By the early 1900s, Nampeyo was successful at bringing her ancestors’ pottery back to life. Her pieces consisted of key distinctive characteristics of traditional Hopi-Tewa culture. A culture in which they were known to be people that believe all life forms on earth have an interconnectedness and balance. These concepts you can see in all Nampeyo’s pottery; like this large water jar where the colors (orange, black, and white) along with the designs of birds and feathers are all symbolism of the earth and their beliefs. These same symbolisms also represent her signature, knowing that she never learned to read or write. When her eyesight began to diminish, she perfected her craft so well that she could remember how the pottery process went and the pieces felt enough to successfully continue.

Around this time the idea of American Indians as a “vanishing race” had become popular in America. America was progressing fast and many believed that Native Americans could not keep up. Therefore, in the eyes of Euro-Americans, they were on the verge of extinction. The Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT & SF) teamed up with Fred Harvey’s company with the notion to preserve the “vanishing race.” The Harvey Company formed its own Indian Department and eventually opened the “Hopi House.” Nampeyo was the star of the Hopi House. This was a place where tourists could come to get an actual glimpse of a real, famous Native American, at work, and have the opportunity to purchase the art they liked.

Because of Nampeyo’s achievements and the fascination Euro-Americans had with the “vanishing race” through the Harvey Company’s Hopi House, she was able to contribute to helping her family survive and preserve their culture by commercializing Native American culture into mainstream culture. To this day more than 40 direct descendants of Nampeyo still produce pottery using her name, helping to keep their culture and her legacy alive. She lived a full life, married twice, birthed six kids, and became the matriarch of her family, passing away in 1942. Her pottery can be found in museums all around America and her techniques are still being taught throughout her tribal nation.

Read more about Nampeyo and the art market here. 

Works Cited

Young, Andrea. The Olson-Brandelle North American Indian Art Collection. Augustana College, 2010, p. 106.

Dilworth, Leah. “Tourists and Indians in Fred Harvey’s Southwest,” Imagining Indians in the Southwest : persistent visions of a primitive past (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998), pp. 142-162.

Swentzell, Rina. “Accommodating the World: Cultural Tourism Among the Pueblos.” Akwe:kon Press, American Indian Program, Cornell University, 1994, p. 134.

This ashtray was created by Fannie Polacca Nampeyo, the daughter of the Hopi-Tewa most legendary “Nampeyo.” Her mother was responsible for the revival of pueblo pottery (an indigenous art) into Euro-American society during a time in American history when Native Americans were considered not capable of keeping up and surviving in America. They were perceived to be a “vanishing race.”

Polacca was born in 1900 to the Hopi-Tewa corn clan on top of a mesa located at Hano village on the Hopi reservation. She grew up watching and learning how to create pottery from the best of her time (who happened to be her mother). She was taught the traditional cultural characteristic designs that her ancestors used in their pottery. These same designs in all Fannie’s pieces she has made. 

By the time Polacca was a teenager, she could be found working beside her mother at Santa Fe Railway and Fred Harvey Company’s “Hopi House.” This was a  tourist attraction in the Southwest (where her mother was the star) where tourists and collectors could come and watch “actual Indians” create their art and have the opportunity to purchase what appealed to them. They were fascinated with Native Americans’ art.

Pottery pieces like this ashtray are a representation of the commercialization of Native American art into mainstream America. In other words, it’s an illustration of Native Americans adapting to modern progressions of America. They realized that selling their art and catering to the delights of Euro-Americans was the best way to help their families survive and begin to live better lives after colonization. Fannie started to make pieces like this ashtray specifically to meet the needs of Euro-Americans (tobacco was considered to be sacred in her culture). Her pieces were easily transportable and accommodated tourist lifestyles.

This chain of events allowed Polacca and her tribal nation to reach deeper into the pockets of tourists and collectors. Their pottery became known nation-wide. Even after the “Hopi-House” era, Polacca and her descendants continued to produce pottery using her mother’s name “Nampeyo.” They have continued to keep the legacy of her mother and their culture alive, proving to be resilient people persevering - not as a “vanishing race” but as an “existing nation.” Polacca passed away in 1986. However, her pottery can still be found in museums across America. 

Look for other works by this family in the Olson-Brandelle collection cases in Tredway and Hanson. 

Works Cited

Cartino, Ashley. Olson-Brandelle North American Indian Art Collection. Augustana College, 2010, p. 110.

Dilworth, Leah. “Tourists and Indians in Fred Harvey’s Southwest,” Imagining Indians in the Southwest : persistent visions of a primitive past (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998), pp. 142-162.

Swentzell, Rina. “Accommodating the World: Cultural Tourism Among the Pueblos.” Akwe:kon Press, American Indian Program, Cornell University, 1994, p. 134.  

Anna Belle Sixkiller Mitchell, a full-blood Cherokee artist, played a pivotal role in the survival of traditional Cherokee pottery, including the creation of red gourd-shaped seed jars. These jars symbolize both cultural heritage and utility, echoing practices of Cherokee pottery-making disrupted by colonization and the Indian Removal Act of 1830. 

Mitchell’s work reflects her deep respect for Cherokee traditions. Mitchell hand-coiled her pottery using locally-sourced clay, smoothing the surface with river stones and decorating them with intricate patterns created by carved wooden paddles or clay stamps. The red gourd seed jars highlight her experimentation with red and white clay slips in techniques like Nodena red and white, producing vessels that combined aesthetic beauty with functional design. Seed jars, traditionally used for storing seeds, hold symbolic significance in Cherokee culture, representing sustainability and the continuity of life. 

Through her art, Mitchell not only preserved these ongoing traditions but also inspired new generations to reconnect with Cherokee heritage. The fact that when Mitchell first started in the 1960s and transcended to the legend she became in being a cultural revivalist shows the impact she’s left for generations to come. Mitchell’s daughter, Victoria Mitchell Vazquez, continues this legacy, taking on the tradition of Cherokee artistry. 

Mitchell is celebrated in books, articles and museums for her work in the Cherokee culture. Her red gourd seed jar and other pieces are preserved as cultural treasures. The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC holds a lot of Mitchell’s work. Gourds are Mitchell’s specialty.

Without Mitchell taking a leap of faith, Eastern Cherokee pottery might not have been revived. With her knowledge, she made Cherokee culture come to life in the pottery world, as well as with her ambition for sticking around and opening windows for other artists, including her daughter, to continue the tradition. Her legacy will live on through her art and hearts she touched during her journey.

Watch a short video of Mitchell here.

Works Cited

Beason, Roxanne. “Lost and Found: Anna Belle Mitchell, Jane Osti, and the ‘Revival’ of Cherokee Pottery in Oklahoma.” The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture. May 20, 2022. https://cmsmc.org/publications/lost-and-found.

Chavez, Will. “Cherokee National Treasure Anna Belle Mitchell Dies,” Cherokee Phoenix, March 6, 2012. https://www.cherokee phoenix.org/news/cherokee-national-treasure-anna-belle-mitchell-dies/article_26301.

Bryan Waytula applies this 3D effect to the “Trickster Rabbit” and the details are crucial because Waytula emphasizes the trickster’s intelligence and wit. This sculpture’s color, size, and history sheds new light on the rabbit, ultimately suggesting that this mischievous rabbit represents Cherokee traditions, while also exploring how the artist’s use of materials, colors, and form all enhance the work’s cultural resonance and modern appeal. Trickster is a unique rabbit. It’s clever, humorous, and occasionally arrogant. This rabbit gives the ideas of the Trix cereal rabbit from the old commercial based of the name and its ways of outwitting others or teaching moral lessons through its mischievous behavior.

Based off its colors, its embodies playfulness, lightheartedness and resilience. Waytula created this image to show off the Cherokee nation’s flag, which is red, black, and yellow. The vibrant colors represent success and triumph. Black can symbolize the earth or unknown. Yellow symbolizes courage, power, and intellect. By incorporating those main colors, Waytula not only pays homage to his heritage, but also strengthens the work’s visual impact. 

One might think the rabbit is enormous, but it actually stands six feet tall in front of the Cherokee Cultural Pathway in Talequah, Oklahoma. This large scale depiction of the rabbit enhances its trickster qualities. Rather than a realistic portrayal of a rabbit, it is rendered in a stylized, curious and unusual form that shows its playful nature. 

The sculpture’s posture and facial expression are animated, capturing the rabbit in a moment of potential mischief or sly contemplation. As I visualize the eyes of the rabbit, they are large and expressive. These features further contribute to our engagement, suggesting an alert, perceptive creature capable of of outwitting others. 

To see more of Waytula’s work, follow him on Instagram at Bryan Waytula (@waytulajit).

Works Cited

Cherokee National History Museum. “Our New Neighbor.” Facebook Post, January 13, 2024.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=905567648150512&id=100060918549298&_r

“New Outdoor Art Installations Debut in Cherokee Cultural Pathway.” Anadisgoi, December 11, 2023. https://anadisgoi.com/index.php/culture-stories/new-outdoor-art-installations-debut-in-cherokee-cultural-pathway

Waytula, Bryan. “Bryan Waytula.” Eighth Generation. https://eighthgeneration.com/collections/bryan-waytula. Accessed December 2024.