Hopi pot with three different bird designs incorporating geometric shapes, by Emily Shupla Komalestewa. Nampeyo and Lesou’s third child was a son, William, who was born in 1893 and died before he was 30. He married, although his wife also died young, in 1918. They had one son (thus Nampeyo’s grandson) Austin Komalestewa, Sr., who was born in 1916 and died in 1987. This pot was made by Austin’s wife, Emily. Emily is from Santa Clara pueblo. For a pot by Emily’s daughter Karen, see 2003-05. Thus, like Cecilia Lesso (1994-05 and 2003-02), Emily married into the Nampeyo family and began making pottery in the Hopi style.. Emily and Austin’s son, Alton Komalestewa also married a woman from Santa Clara and also became a well-known pottery maker, though he is not often recognized as a great grandson of Nampeyo because his descent is not matriarchal.
Purchase History:
Purchased on 10/12/02 on eBay from Patricia Schaefer, of Lenoir, NC. He had purchased the pot from an estate sale in the 1970s.