Hopi pot, butterfly/feather design, Alma Chapella Tahbo. Design element has two butterflies and two groups of feathers/geometric designs. Fired May 12, 1981. Alma (born 1915; died 1993) is the daughter of noted Hopi/Tewa potter Grace Chapella (1991-10). Alma’s Father was Tom Pavatea [See White Mountain Smith (1938) for a discussion of Pavatea.] Though Grace and Tom were not married, all of Grace’s pottery-making descendents are through Alma (Dillingham, 1994:2). For a picture of Alma, her comments about pottery making, and a picture of an Alma pot identical to 1989-07 in Rick’s collection, see Dillingham (1994:6). For another photograph, see Collins (1977:21). The design is a family trademark (see Dianna Tahbo, 1992-06) and is directly derived from the Sikyatki design described in 1989-01), above. According to Rick Dillingham, Alma also painted 1993-01 , though pot 1993-01 was signed by her Mother. (See Collins, 1977:10 for a discussion of this mother/daughter collaboration.) During the spring of 1993, Alma was quite ill; she died the first week of June, 1993.
For another small pot by Alma, see 1999-06. For a pot by Alma’s daughter Deanna Tahbo Lomahquanu, see 2001-03. For pots by her nephew Mark Tahbo see (1992-02, 1995-01 and 1997-08) and by her niece Dianna Tahbo see (1992-06).
