Born of Clay

21.5” H x 10”W x 8.5”D

Pottery to Hopi is significant for many reasons. We are part of it and it is part of us. Clay, water, fire and air. All these elements to the Hopi are spiritually alive and is thought from which the First People were made from. For over two thousand years our pottery has served not only as a fundamental part of daily life but also as an important source of communication of our cultural beliefs to be read through time.

Clay has always been considered sacred and a gift from the Earth. Cooking vessels were the earliest and most dominantly made. Later, stories of long ago, designs of ancient beliefs, calendrical patterns, and symbolic images appear. Prehistoric and historic vessels record mostly abstract symbols that cannot be read directly. Today, Potters continue to find new and innovative ways to communicate both old and new beliefs alike. Often clouds, rain, lightning, and plants appear on beautifully shaped vessels to tell the stories important to our peoples.

The “Born of Clay” pottery has clouds and lightning lining prayer feathers to indicate our prayers for water. The large oval spaces represent water areas with dots acting as directions of the world. Our prayers are for water for all the world.

Today, the First Mesa area of Hopi are known for their exceptional historical line of the finest Potters.