Naha, Rainy – Large Jar with Crow Mother and Eototo Figures

10.5"w x 5.5"h

$ 3,200.00

Rainy Naha is well known for her creative and intricately designed pottery.  This jar is a new design for her and it is inspired by the Awatovi murals.   Awatovi was a Hopi village from around 1300 to 1700.  In the 1930’s J. O. Brew of the Peabody Museum conducted extensive archeological excavations at Awatovi.  Most of the murals were actually removed and are now at the Peabody Museum.  The last image is one of the actual murals.  Rainy Naha has depicted Eototo on one side in the Mural style.  Eototo is the chief of all kachinas and knows all of the ceremonies. He is the spiritual counterpart of the village chief and as such is called “father” of all the kachinas.  The other side has the Crow Mother Katsina.  Crow Mother, or Angwusnasomtaka,  is a figure of great dignity. She appears on all three mesas, usually in connection with the initiation of the children.  Both figures are painted with exceptional detail and a variety of clay colors.  Check out the birds surrounding Eototo!  Separating the two figures are bands of Hopi-Tewa designs.  Each of the squares has a different design from classic Hopi-Tewa pottery.  So why the Awatovi designs? Rainy’s mother, Helen “Feather Woman” Naha, lived on a ranch in the Jeddito Valley, below the Awatovi Ruins and Helen was the first revivalist of their black and white pottery.  Rainy has continued this revival with her innovative designs.  The jar is painted with various clay slips along with bee-weed, which is black.  It was traditionally fired and it is signed on the bottom with a feather and “Rainy”.  Rainy has won numerous awards for her pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Market and her work continues to be a creative inspiration in Hopi-Tewa pottery.