Dextra Quotskuyva
Encyclopedia
Dextra Quotskuyva is a Native American potter and artist. She is the great-granddaughter of the Tewa potter Nampeyo
(1860–1942) of Hano
who revived Sikyátki
style pottery on Hopi First Mesa. She was born to Rachel and Emerson Namingha in the village of Polacca, Arizona
, United States
, located at the base of Hopi First Mesa.
Coming from a family of fine potters, Dextra began making pottery in 1967 under her mother’s guidance and has been doing so ever since. She likes to experiment with different forms and designs on her pieces and makes each one unique. She is known for her novel decorations and often combines the traditional with contemporary. Some of her designs are hereditary, going back as far as Nampeyo in the late 19th century.
Dextra places a lot of importance on using traditional methods in her work. She gathers her own clay and uses traditional tools: such as gourds to shape the pots, sandstone to smooth and river pebbles to polish the clay. Some of the polishing stones she uses have been passed down through the family. She uses sheep dung for fuel in the firing process, and is one of the last potters to make her own puki. A puki is a small dish used to hold the first few coils of the pot. This dish allows the potter to rotate the pot as construction continues.
In addition to studying the work of her great-grandmother Nampeyo, she received much inspiration from old Sikyatki pots seen in museums and photographs. Sikyatki
is the name of the ruins, located on the First Mesa of the Hopi reservation that was excavated by the archaeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes in 1896. These excavations recovered 16th and 17th century pottery, which influenced Nampeyo and initiated the revival of traditional Hopi
pottery techniques and designs.
Dextra also taught her two nephews Steve Lucas and Les Namingha how to make pottery. Both have become exceptional, award-winning potters.
In 1995 Dextra Quotskuyva was proclaimed an “Arizona Living Treasure” and in 1998 she received the first Arizona State Museum
Lifetime Achievement Award. Today she has become one of the best known descendants of the matriarch Nampeyo of Hano.
Nampeyo
Iris Nampeyo was a Hopi potter who lived on the Hopi Reservation in present-day Arizona. She received the English name Iris as an infant, but was better known by her Tewa name, Num-pa-yu, meaning "snake that does not bite"....
(1860–1942) of Hano
Hano
Hano can refer to:*Hanö, an island off Listerlandet peninsula, western Blekinge, Sweden.*Arizona Tewa, a Tewa Pueblo group.*Hano , a song in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest by Nino Pršeš.*Housing Authority of New Orleans....
who revived Sikyátki
Sikyátki
Sikyátki is an archeological site and former Hopi village spanning 40,000 to 60,000 square metres on the eastern side of First Mesa, in what is now Navajo County in the U.S. state of Arizona. It was inhabited by Kokop clan of the Hopi from the 14th to the 17th century. Jesse Walter Fewkes led a...
style pottery on Hopi First Mesa. She was born to Rachel and Emerson Namingha in the village of Polacca, Arizona
Polacca, Arizona
Polacca is an unincorporated community in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. Polacca is located along Arizona State Route 264 northeast of Second Mesa. Polacca has a post office with ZIP code 86042. The community is named for Tewa Indian Tom Polacca....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located at the base of Hopi First Mesa.
Coming from a family of fine potters, Dextra began making pottery in 1967 under her mother’s guidance and has been doing so ever since. She likes to experiment with different forms and designs on her pieces and makes each one unique. She is known for her novel decorations and often combines the traditional with contemporary. Some of her designs are hereditary, going back as far as Nampeyo in the late 19th century.
Dextra places a lot of importance on using traditional methods in her work. She gathers her own clay and uses traditional tools: such as gourds to shape the pots, sandstone to smooth and river pebbles to polish the clay. Some of the polishing stones she uses have been passed down through the family. She uses sheep dung for fuel in the firing process, and is one of the last potters to make her own puki. A puki is a small dish used to hold the first few coils of the pot. This dish allows the potter to rotate the pot as construction continues.
In addition to studying the work of her great-grandmother Nampeyo, she received much inspiration from old Sikyatki pots seen in museums and photographs. Sikyatki
Sikyátki
Sikyátki is an archeological site and former Hopi village spanning 40,000 to 60,000 square metres on the eastern side of First Mesa, in what is now Navajo County in the U.S. state of Arizona. It was inhabited by Kokop clan of the Hopi from the 14th to the 17th century. Jesse Walter Fewkes led a...
is the name of the ruins, located on the First Mesa of the Hopi reservation that was excavated by the archaeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes in 1896. These excavations recovered 16th and 17th century pottery, which influenced Nampeyo and initiated the revival of traditional Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
pottery techniques and designs.
Dextra also taught her two nephews Steve Lucas and Les Namingha how to make pottery. Both have become exceptional, award-winning potters.
In 1995 Dextra Quotskuyva was proclaimed an “Arizona Living Treasure” and in 1998 she received the first Arizona State Museum
Arizona State Museum
The Arizona State Museum , founded in 1893, was originally a repository for the collection and protection of archaeological resources. Today, however, ASM stores artifacts, exhibits them and provides education and research opportunities. It was formed by authority of the Territorial Legislature...
Lifetime Achievement Award. Today she has become one of the best known descendants of the matriarch Nampeyo of Hano.
External links
- Painted Perfection, 30-year retrospective show at the Wheelwright Museum
- Pots by Dextra Nampeyo Quotskuyva at the Holmes Museum of Anthropology