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Carmel Lewis
Acoma Pueblo
Carmel Lewis
Born into Acoma Pueblo in 1947, Carmel Lewis was the youngest daughter of Lucy M. Lewis. She learned everything she needed to know about making traditional Acoma pottery from one of the best, as she grew up. Emma Lewis-Mitchell and Dolores Lewis-Garcia were among her older sisters and Ivan and Drew Lewis among her older brothers.
Carmel made polychrome, black-on-white and black-on-orange seedpots, bowls, jars and canteens. It seems her designs were mostly taken from Mimbres designs seen on pot shards she found on the ground around where she lived. The children of Lucy Lewis were very dedicated to keeping the memory of the Mimbres people and their designs alive.
Carmel passed on in 2019. She had passed her knowledge on to her daughter, Katarina Haskaya Lukee, but Katarina died in 2015.
Black on red jar with Mimbres lightning bolt design
4.75 in H by 6.25 in Dia
Black and white jar decorated with a fine line geometric design
4.75 in H by 4 in Dia
3.75 in H by 6 in Dia