James Garcia Nampeyo was a son of Leah Garcia Nampeyo, a grandson of Fannie Nampeyo, and a great-grandson of Nampeyo of Hano.  This water jar has a classic Hopi shape with a round shape and an elongated neck.  The body of the jar is painted with the classic migration pattern.   The migration pattern, or bird wings, extends around the entire jar in 9 sections on top and 9 on the bottom for a total of 18.  The jar has thin lines connecting the bird wings.  There are a lot of thin lines connecting the various designs that add to the overall dynamic appearance of the jar. The neck of the jar has a checkerboard pattern.  The piece was traditionally fired to give it the coloration with some subtle blushes.  It is signed on the bottom, “James G. Nampeyo” and a corn plant for Corn Clan.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.

Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo said of  the migration pattern:

“This is the one design that was really stressed for us to use, the migration pattern. Nothing but lines, representing the migration of all the people to all the places, including down below and up above. All the x’s represent life from the bottom and top, telling you the universe is one. The thin lines, I just wanted to paint them real fast and real close to try and include everyone.”  Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo, Spoken Through Clay