Beautifully Decorated Hopi-Tewa Pottery Cowboy Hat [SOLD]

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Potter Once Known

Since Nampeyo of Hano’s era of making pottery at Hopi House at The Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Hopi people have made small souvenir pieces for tourists. This cowboy hat is typical of such items. It was as carefully made and as carefully decorated as any major piece of pottery. 

Artist Signature of Fannie Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa PotterThe hat has a crease on the top in the traditional fashion of a cowboy hat.  The wide brim is curved upward slightly.  On the crown are two sun faces on opposing sides of the hat.  A painted hat band is around the bottom of the crown.

The hat is signed with a corn hallmark that Is similar to but not exactly like corn symbols published by the Museum of Northern Arizona. The two closest hallmarks are seen for Fannie Nampeyo and Lena Chio Charley.


Condition: very good condition.

Provenance: this Beautifully Decorated Hopi-Tewa Pottery Cowboy Hat is from the estate of Henry Christensen, former attorney at law of New York, who purchased this from us in 2003.

Recommended Reading: Modern Hopi Pottery by Kathryn A. Sikorski, Utah State University

Reference: “Identification Marks on Hop and Hopi-Tewa Pottery” published in Plateau, The Quarterly of the Museum of Northern Arizona, VOL 48, Nos. 3 & 4 – Spring 1976

TAGS: Hopi PuebloContemporary PotteryFannie Polacca NampeyoLena Chio CharlieNampeyo of HanoNellie Nampeyo DoumaThomasElvaTonitaIrisLeahIrene ShuplaNeil DavidSouthwest Indian PotteryAnnie Healing Nampeyo


Fannie Polacca Nampeyo (1900-1987)

Fannie Nampeyo example signature

Hopi-Tewa artist Fannie Polacca Nampeyo is perhaps the most famous of Nampeyo of Hano's three daughters and produced during the period when collectors were seriously collecting signed pottery. The other two are Annie Healing Nampeyo and Nellie Nampeyo Douma.

At that time, she was the oldest Nampeyo family member. She remained true to tradition in vessel construction and design throughout her career. I watched Fannie in every stage of pottery production but the thing I remember most was the way she would get out a large jar of Vaseline and rubbed a little bit on her fired pot, then burnish it with an old pair of panty hose that she slipped over her hand. The result was a beautiful patina.

Fannie Polacca Nampeyo (1900-1987) of the Corn Clan, had 7 children, all of whom were potters, full time or occasionally: Thomas, Elva, Tonita, Iris, Leah, Harold and Ellsworth.


Lena Chio Charlie (1888-1978) Corn Woman

Hallmark signature of Lena Chio Charlie (ca.1908-ca.1960s) Corn Woman

Hopi-Tewa artist Lena Chio Charlie is known to have been an active potter from 1933 to 1961. If the statement below is accurate, we know she was born before her dad died in 1918. Assuming she was less than 20 years of age when she married for the second time in 1928, then her birth year would probably have been 1908. (Museum of Northern Arizona publication Plateau, Vol 48, Nos 3 & 4, Spring 1976)

According to one source, Lena Chio Charlie (1888-1978) Corn Woman was a granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano and Lesou. She was the daughter of their oldest son, Qoo-ma-lets-tewa (Mad Bear), who died in the year 1918 because of the flu. She married her second husband, Victor Charlie, in 1928. (Personal conversation with Maurice M. Bloom, Jr., 1983.)

Hopi Pueblo artist signature - Lena Chio Charlie (1888-1978) Corn WomanIn another reference, she is listed as Lena Charlie, and the sister to Irene Shupla and Hazel Shupla, and the mother of Sunbeam David, which would make her the grandmother of Neil David, the well-known Hopi-Tewa painter and katsina doll carver. (Schaaf)

In still another reference, she is said to be the niece of Nampeyo. When Nampeyo's vision was deteriorating, and she was unable to paint her pottery anymore, she would often take pieces to Lena for her to paint, if Annie or Fannie were unavailable to help their mom. (Kramer)

I think it is safe to say she was related to Nampeyo, but the relationship is not definitively defined.

Biographical References:

Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Nampeyo and Her Pottery by Barbara Kramer

Potter Once Known
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