Hopi Pueblo Pottery Jar By Tom Polacca

ca. 1990

4" H x 7" D 

Hand Coiled Jar with a Golden Tan Field and a Carved and Painted Dark Brown, Light Brown and Orange Geometric and Crow Mother Kachina Motif Design Signed Tom Polacca 

In Very Good Condition

The Crow Mother, known as Angwusnasomtaka or Tümas in Hopi culture, is a significant kachina (spirit) revered as the mother of all kachinas and the guardian of children. She holds a central role in Hopi ceremonies, particularly the Powamu (Bean Dance) held in February, which marks the initiation of children into the Kachina and Powamu societies.

Thomas Polacca was a son of noted potter Fannie Nampeyo and a grandson of Nampeyo of Hano. Along with Wallace Youvella (the husband of his sister Iris), Thomas was one of the first Hopi men to make and design pottery in the 1970s. Wallace and Thomas told the story that they first tried making pottery with “traditional” designs. Still, there was resistance from the women, so they began to create a new style of Hopi pottery with carved designs, much like Hopi Katsinas. Thomas received wide acclaim for his pottery over the years, and his work is in numerous museums, such as the Heard, the Denver Art Museum, and others.

LWIT: 2068-02