2014-15 Large Polik’Mana canteen, Nampeyo design

Canteens, Kachina Design, Polik'Mana

10.0625” front to back (though the “flat” back is not actually flat, so this distance varies). 12.125” from spout to bottom, including the 1.5” spout. 11.3125” wide. This is a huge canteen, only somewhat smaller than the large utility canteen that is also part of this...

2014-12 Canteen in the form of the face of a Hummingbird Katchina

Canteens, Folk Art Bird Design, Kachina Design

The height includes 0.75” height of the stopper in the canteen. The width includes two 1.25” handles, The depth (front to back) measurement includes the 1” nose. Both prehistoric and historic canteens with hooked noses are known. See the cover of Dittert and Plog...

2014-10 Rectangular tile with polychromatic Polik’mana

1880s to 1900 Transition Ware, Kachina Design, Polik'Mana, Tile, White-slipped, Nampeyo

Form: Since prehistoric times Hopi women formed flat “tiles” of clay that were fired and then ground to use as temper in the formation of pots. Some decorated tiles may have been made for ritual use in the kivas (Wright, 1977:64). In 1875 Thomas Keam opened the first...

2013-23 Eight Katchina Seed Jar

Kachina Design

This is a beautifully formed pot of the classic Sikyatki and Nampeyo “flying saucer” shape. Much of the beauty of the piece emerges from a simplicity of form: rising off a base the jar flows outward and upward to a midpoint of maximum width, then curves in to form a...

2013-08 Tall Polik’Mana Vase

Kachina Design, Polik'Mana

There are eight other Jake Koopee pots in this collection and they span much of his short 21-year career. Two (1994-11 and 1995-14) are fairly traditional and indicate his exceptional early promise. Three (2008-04a, b, & c) are odd little plainware pieces done to...

2013-06 Rain Dancer Canteen

Canteens, Kachina Design

Utilitarian canteens to haul water up the mesa to a home or carry a day’s supply of water into a field were common utilitarian items until the early part of the 20th Century. (See utilitarian ware in the Index of Categories.) The shape of these canteens was generally...