Namoki, Lawrence – “Sipapu Down Under” Seedpot with Kokopelli and Petroglyphs (1990s)
$ 900.00
This is an exceptional larger seedpot by Lawrence Namoki. He was known for the variety of styles of his pottery. While he began with deeply carved pottery, he ended his career by creating delicately painted vessels. This piece is entitled, “Sipapu Down Under”. First, what is a sipapu?
A sipapu is a small, sacred, round hole in the floor of a Pueblo Indian kiva symbolizing the “place of emergence”. According to Hopi and other Pueblo traditions, ancestors first emerged from the previous world into this one. It acts as a spiritual portal or navel connecting the present world to the underworld.
This seedpot has two Kokopelli Katsinas carved on one side. They are standing on the edge of the kiva and below them, around the jar, are pottery shard designs. Behind them is a rock wall and it is etched with various petroglyphs. As the piece is turned, the top also has pottery shards. There is a man who is chiselling the petroglyphs into the rock wall. Lawrence has created an amazing story on the surface of the piece. The bottom of the bowl has a square opening, like looking down into a square kiva (at Hopi, many of them are square on top) and looking straight through, you can see the “sipapu” or the opening at the top. Take a closer look at the shards on the bottom and you will see that one of them is his signature! It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Out of stock
This is an exceptional larger seedpot by Lawrence Namoki. He was known for the variety of styles of his pottery. While he began with deeply carved pottery, he ended his career by creating delicately painted vessels. This piece is entitled, “Sipapu Down Under”. First, what is a sipapu?
A sipapu is a small, sacred, round hole in the floor of a Pueblo Indian kiva symbolizing the “place of emergence”. According to Hopi and other Pueblo traditions, ancestors first emerged from the previous world into this one. It acts as a spiritual portal or navel connecting the present world to the underworld.
This seedpot has two Kokopelli Katsinas carved on one side. They are standing on the edge of the kiva and below them, around the jar, are pottery shard designs. Behind them is a rock wall and it is etched with various petroglyphs. As the piece is turned, the top also has pottery shards. There is a man who is chiselling the petroglyphs into the rock wall. Lawrence has created an amazing story on the surface of the piece. The bottom of the bowl has a square opening, like looking down into a square kiva (at Hopi, many of them are square on top) and looking straight through, you can see the “sipapu” or the opening at the top. Take a closer look at the shards on the bottom and you will see that one of them is his signature! It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.
Brand
Namoki, Lawrence (1949-2020)
Lawrence Namoki is from Walpi, the oldest village on First Mesa at Hopi. He began his art career carving miniature katchina in wood. In the 1980's he began making pottery which was deeply carved and the imagery was mostly focused on Katsina figures. The surfaces were slipped and painted to give the appearance of wood. Today, his work has taken a new turn with imagery based on Hopi myths and history. He says of his pottery, "The type of artwork I do cannot be taught in any educational institute. Only a true Hopi can do what I do and he must understand the Hopi culture and the life of a Hopi to do artwork of this type. All my artwork on pottery is based on Hopi Culture and Myths.” Lawrence has won numerous awards for his pottery at events such as Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Indian Market. His pottery can also be found in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum, the Smithsonian, and the Heard Museum.