Polacca, Fannie L. – Jar with Migration Pattern

Fannie L. Polacca is a great-granddaughter of Nampeyo of Hano and a granddaughter of Fannie Nampeyo. Her father was Tom Polacca and she is a sister of Gary Nampeyo, Carla Claw, Delmar Polacca, and Elvira Naha.  This jar has a round shoulder and a sloping neck.  It is painted with bee-weed and red clay slip. It has a classic migration pattern painted onto the piece.  There are eight bird wings above the shoulder, and eight below for a total of 16.  This is a design that is seen on the pottery of Nampeyo of Hano.  The jar is signed, “Fannie L. Nampeyo”.  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