Stetson Setalla

Stetson Setalla (Hopi-Tewa, Bear Clan) is a highly respected Hopi-Tewa pottery artist born in 1962 on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. As the grandson of the renowned Hopi potter Paqua Naha, who helped establish the elegant white slip style of Hopi pottery, Setalla carries forward a significant family legacy in Native American ceramics. He was encouraged by his mother, Pauline Setalla, to continue the family tradition and began creating pottery shortly after graduating high school at age nineteen.

Working within the centuries-old traditions of Hopi-Tewa pottery, Stetson hand-coils each vessel using clay gathered directly from the Hopi mesas. His pigments are derived from natural minerals and plant materials, and his pieces are traditionally outdoor-fired using sheep dung—methods that connect his work deeply to the land and to ancestral practice. Each pot is formed, polished, and painted entirely by hand, reflecting both technical mastery and cultural continuity.

Setalla often speaks about the spiritual dimension of pottery making. He approaches his work with prayer, focus, and intention, believing that a clear mind and good heart are essential to creating meaningful art. This philosophy, combined with his refined craftsmanship, has made his pottery highly collectible among enthusiasts of authentic Hopi pottery and Native American art.

He signs his work “S. Setalla” accompanied by a rain cloud symbol, a meaningful hallmark recognized by collectors of Southwestern Indigenous ceramics.