Sylvia Naha

Hopi

Sylvia Naha (1951-1999) was the daughter of Helen Naha (First Featherwoman) and granddaughter of Paqua Naha (First Frogwoman). Rainy Naha was her sister and Burel Naha her brother.

Sylvia mostly created pottery slipped with Hopi's white clay, polishing the formed pots and painting them with bee-weed (black) and native colored slips. In the early 1950s her mother had perfected a method of making white-slipped pottery using Hopi clays that wouldn't crack in the firing. Helen passed that knowledge on to her children and they carried on from there. During the 1980s Sylvia was one of the most innovative of Hopi potters with her whiteware. She tended to create classic forms and paint intricate designs.

Sylvia signed her pottery with the Featherwoman feather and her initial S.

Learning Path
Lizard on top and lightning bolt and Tularosa spiral design below on a Polychrome jar
Polychrome jar with lizard design on top and lightning bolt and Tularosa spiral design below
3 in H by 5 in Dia
Lizard and shard design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar with lizard and shard design
5.75 in H by 5 in Dia
Lizard and geometric design on a polychrome whiteware jar
Polychrome whiteware jar with lizard and geometric design
3.75 in H by 7.75 in Dia
Lizard and shard designs on a cylinder
Polychrome cylinder decorated with lizard and shard designs
7.25 in H by 4.75 in Dia
Migration pattern, bat wing and geometric design on a polychrome white war jar
Polychrome white ware jar decorated with a four-direction bat wing, migration pattern and geometric design
4.75 in H by 8.5 in Dia
Bird element and geometric design on a white ware polychrome jar
Polychrome white ware jar decorated with a bird element and geometric design
5.25 in H by 6.5 in Dia
Lizard and geometric design on a polychrome jar
Polychrome jar decorated with a lizard and geometric design
6.25 in H by 5.75 in Dia
Geometric design on a black and white seed pot
Black and white seed pot with a geometric design
3.5 in H by 8.5 in Dia
Awatovi star, fine line and geometric design on a miniature black and white seed pot
Miniature polychrome seed pot decorated with an Awatovi star, fine line and geometric design
2.25 in H by 2.75 in Dia
Awatovi star, Jornada Mogollon spiral, lock-and-keys, fine line and geometric design on a miniature black and white jar
A miniature black and white jar decorated with an Awatovi star, Jornada Mogollon spiral, lock-and-keys, fine line and geometric design
2 in H by 2.25 in Dia
Lizard, corn plant and geometric design on a miniature polychrome seed pot
Miniature polychrome seed pot decorated with a lizard, corn plant and geometric design
1.75 in H by 2 in Dia
Lizard, corn stalk and geometric design on a black-and-red on white seed pot Black-and-red-on-white seed pot with a lizard, corn stalk and geometric design
3.25 in H by 6.5 in Dia
Awatovi star, spiral, fine line and geometric design in black on a white seed pot
Black-and-white seed pot decorated with an Awatovi star, spiral, fine line and geometric design
4.5 in H by 11.25 in Dia
Lizard and geometric design on a black and white seed pot
A black-on-white seed pot decorated with a lizard and geometric design
3.25 in H by 5.5 in Dia
spiral, lightning bolt and geometric design in black on a white jar
A black-on-white jar decorated with a spiral, lightning bolt and geometric design
6.5 in Dia by 3.75 in H
Bird element and geometric design on a black-and-red-on-white seed pot Black-and-red-on-white seed pot with a bird element and geometric design
2.75 in L by 2.75 in W by 2 in H

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