Adelle Nampeyo

Adelle Lalo Nampeyo was born in 1959 to Elva Tewaguna Nampeyo. Her grandmother, Fannie Nampeyo, and great-grandmother, Nampeyo of Hano, were both influential figures in the pottery tradition. Adelle’s siblings include Elton Tewaguna, Miriam Tewaguna Nampeyo, and Neva Polacca Choyou Nampeyo. Like her sisters, she learned the craft of pottery by observing and working alongside her mother and grandmother as they created pottery during her childhood.

Adelle embraced the traditional, spiritual approach to pottery-making, a practice she has passed down to her daughters. She credits the spiritual connection to the craft as the element that captured her heart, drawing her back to it time and again.

Throughout her career, Adelle has remained true to the design legacy of the Nampeyo family. Her favorite designs are the Sikyátki-Revival patterns, including clowns, bird motifs, butterflies, rainclouds, negative stars, eagletail feathers, and connected scrolls.