Cloud Bands

The lines that border the painted designs on the top and bottom of Nampeyo’s pot are also seen in historic Sikyatki pottery and are sometimes called “sky bands” or “cloud bands.”

Eagle Tails

Nampeyo repeated the “eagle tail” motif throughout her career, and it has become one of the Nampeyo family designs

Stylized Bird and Kilt

The stylized bird design was one of the most frequently used decorative motifs on ancient Sikyatki vessels. Nampeyo adapted the motif and used it, with her own variations, on many of her pieces.

Below the bird, Nampeyo painted a design identified as a “stylized kilt,” which resembles Hopi ceremonial kilts.

Shape

The bowl shape was most prevalent in Nampeyo’s work in the early 1900s. The bowl reaches its greatest width halfway between the top and bottom. The shoulders of the vessel are more sharply angled than in earlier pieces and culminate in a short neck and a small opening.

White Background

Nampeyo followed the Zuni style of painting her designs on coiled-clay vessels covered with a thick white slip (clay thinned with water that acts like a glaze when fired). She typically used brown or black paint, but at times she used yellow and red slip and also made unslipped vessels.

Tradition and Innovation

Nampeyo’s legacy survives today through her descendants. The artist’s daughters, Annie and Fannie, and granddaughter, Rachel, did not deviate far from the family patterns, using designs first developed by Nampeyo. Fourth-generation potter Dextra Quotskuyva was the first to truly break the boundaries and create designs drawn from both ancient and contemporary concepts. Her daughter Camille, better known as Hisi, continues to develop her mother’s designs as well as creating her own unique shapes. Still, in layout and color even the youngest generation’s vessels reflect centuries of pottery-making tradition.