Helen Naha (1922–1993) was the matriarch in a family of well known Hopi

potters A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas * Potter, Nebraska *Potters, New Jer ...

Biography

Helen Naha was the daughter-in-law of Paqua Naha (the first Frog Woman). Helen was married to Paqua’s son Archie. She was mostly self-taught, following the style of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law Joy Navasie (second Frog Woman). Her designs are often based on fragments found at the Awatovi ruins near Hopi. Her hallmark style was finely polished, hand-coiled pottery finished in white slip with black and red decorations. She would often take the extra step to polish the inside of a piece as well as the outside. She signed her pottery with a feather glyph. This resulted in her being called “Feather Woman” by many collectors. Both of her daughters, Sylvia and Rainy (Rainell), as well as her granddaughter

Tyra Naha Tyra Naha (or Tyra Naha-Black, or Tyra Naha Tawawina) represents the 4th generation in a family of well-known Hopi potters. She is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Native American pottery, potter from the Hopi Nation, Arizo ...

are well known potters. Today, her medium to larger pots typically sell for several thousand dollars. She has been recognized by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts for her body of work through the creation of the Helen Naha Memorial Award - For Excellence in Traditional Hopi Pottery. Naha was a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

References

* Dillingham, Rick. ''Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery''. Foreword by J. J. Brody. University of New Mexico Press, (reprint edition) 1994. * Graves, Laura. ''Thomas Varker Keam, Indian Trader''. University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. * Pecina, Ron. ''Hopi Kachinas: History, Legends, and Art''. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 2013. pp. 163–166. * Schaaf, Gregory. ''Hopi-Tewa Pottery, 500 Artist Biographies''. Edited by Richard M. Howard, CIAC Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico,

External links

Lowell. D. Holmes Museum of AnthropologyClayHound.us, Examples of Native American Traditional Pottery
* ttp://www.swaia.org/ Southwestern Association for Indian Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Naha, Helen 1922 births 1993 deaths American Latter Day Saint artists American women ceramists American ceramists Artists from Arizona Hopi people Native American potters 20th-century American women artists Native American women artists Women potters Latter Day Saints from Arizona 20th-century ceramists 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women Native American people from Arizona

Biography

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References

External links