Clinton Polacca Nampeyo was a grandson of Fannie Nampeyo, who taught him to make traditional Hopi-Tewa pottery.  This is a large water jar.  The jar is coil-built and painted before it was fired.  The jar has a high shoulder, elongated neck, and slightly turned-out rim.   The piece is painted with the classic migration pattern.  The migration pattern consists of upper and lower rows of bird wings, connected by lines. There are seven on the top and seven on the bottom, making a total of fourteen.  The lines are delicately painted with bee-weed (black). There is an additional red clay slip near the neck and base as part of the design. The migration design is a classic Hopi-Tewa pattern revived by Nampeyo of Hano and tells the story of the migration of the people around the world.  The jar is traditionally fired to create the coloration on the surface of the jar.  The coloration works beautifully with this piece with shades from white to orange.  It is signed on the bottom, “Clinton Polacca 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. 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