Sahmie, Ida – “Winter on the Rez” Tile

3" x 4"

$ 235.00

This is an unusual tile by Ida Sahmie.  The tile is fully polished and painted with natural clay slips and bee-weed (a plant) for the black.    The front side has the Yei-bi-Chi figure, often also called the “Talking God”, who is the first in a series of eight during the Night Chant.  The opposite side has the last figure.  The figures are etched into the clay and then slipped with clay to create the colorations.  Ida is a daughter-in-law of Priscilla Nampeyo and Ida continues to make beautifully formed pottery with wonderfully complex designs.  She has won numerous awards for her pottery at events such as Santa Fe Indian Market.  She is the only Navajo potter creating this unique style of ethnographic pottery.  It is signed on the side in the clay, “Ida Sahmie”.