Tonita Nampeyo was a daughter of Fannie Nampeyo and a granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano.  She was known for her traditional pottery using natural clay slips and bee-weed for the black.  This large jar is an elegant shape with a round shoulder and a turned-out rim.  The jar has a classic “migration pattern” painted around the shoulder.  The design is one that was revived by Nampeyo of Hano in the late 1800s from ancient Sikyatki pottery.  The design consists of interlocking bird wings and thin lines. This jar has eight wings above the shoulder and eight below, for a total of 16! In addition, there are all the thin lines connecting the wings.  The shape and design are simply Tonita at her best with tightly painted lines, a thin-walled vessel, and a traditional firing that created light blushes on the surface.  It is signed, ‘Tonita 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. It has seven points at the top and bottom. 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