Hopi Frogwoman: A Family Tradition of Native American Potters
This month we would like to pay tribute to the Hopi/Tewa Frogwoman Potters: Paqua Naha (First Frogwomen) and her daughter Joy Navasi (Second Frogwoman).
In the Hopi tradition, potters and their daughters and granddaughters all worked together and learned from each other to craft pottery that is both unique to their family, but steeped in Hopi ceremony and heritage. Originally, this pottery was created for practical uses by the Hopi people, used in their everyday lives. But it soon evolved into sought-out artwork with the success of many Native American Artists, especially the works of Nampeyo.
Paqua was born around 1890 and passed away in 1955. She was the original Frogwoman, her name derived from her first name, Paqua, which means “frog.” Her pottery used many different colors (typically white, red, yellow and black), but she was most known for her whiteware pieces, becoming famous for perfecting this process, which is acknowledged as the hardest type of clay to work with.
Joy Navasie Bowl
In the mid-1850s many Hopi left the mesas due to an outbreak of smallpox and stayed with the Zuni. There they learned to use a white slip over their pottery. But when they returned years later, the Hopi white clay didn’t perform as well as the Zuni, showing many white cracks when fired. Paqua was the one that was able to fix this issue and perfect the technique with a smooth, polished finish, and passed it on to her daughters before she died two year later.
Her daughter, Joy Navasie (Yellow Flower) became known as the Second Frogwoman. She learned to make pottery from her mother from 1935-1995. Like her mother, she signs the bottom faces of her work with a frog image, except Joy’s signature has web toes as compared to her mother’s straight toes.
Paqua Naha (First Frogwoman) Signature
Joy Navasi (First Frogwoman) Signature
There is a nuanced difference in style between mother and daughter, but you can clearly see the generational influence in this magnificent art. Today their art can be found in numerous books, galleries, and museums around the world.
Paqua Naha Vase
Joy Navasi Vase
Join us in celebrating these amazing Native American Women!
