Alton Komalestewa, Hopi-Tewa Artist

Alton Komalestewa (b. 1959- )

Alton Komalestewa is a unique figure in Native American pottery, known for blending the distinct ceramic traditions of Santa Clara and Hopi Pueblos. Born in 1959, Komalestewa spent formative years at Santa Clara Pueblo, where he learned the art of pottery from his mother-in-law, the celebrated Santa Clara potter Helen Shupla.

Shupla was renowned for her deeply melon-ribbed jars, crafted by pushing the coils outward from the interior and finishing them with a highly polished, mirror-like surface. Komalestewa quickly mastered these techniques, and his work from this period displays the same refined quality and craftsmanship as Shupla's own.

During his time at Santa Clara, Komalestewa used local clay and slips native to the area, producing a small but exceptional body of work. His career as a potter was brief, however, and came to a turning point after the passing of both his wife and Helen Shupla. Following their deaths, Komalestewa relocated to the Hopi Reservation, where he began to work with Hopi clay but continued to create pottery in the style he had learned at Santa Clara. These later works serve as an homage to his earlier artistic influences and experiences.

Significantly, Alton Komalestewa also carries a profound artistic heritage through his Hopi lineage. He is the great-grandson of Nampeyo of Hano, the legendary Hopi-Tewa potter credited with reviving traditional Hopi pottery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This dual inheritance from both Santa Clara and Hopi traditions makes Komalestewa's work especially rare and valuable-a compelling blend of Tewa innovation and Hopi legacy.

Though his time as an active potter was short, Alton Komalestewa's work stands as a testament to cross-Pueblo artistry, familial lineage, and deep cultural continuity.

TAGS: Santa Clara Pueblo, Helen Shupla, Hopi Pueblo, Nampeyo of Hano, Southwest Indian Pottery, Fannie Polacca Nampeyo, Nellie Nampeyo Douma, Annie Healing Nampeyo