Rainy Naha
Corn Pollen
5" H
x 8 1/4" D
Like Rainy Naha's other works,
this vessel features her signature whitewash with multicolor
pigments - but unlike the others, it relies less on abstracts
and geometrics, and instead presents a bold series of corn motifs
on each of the four sides of the bowl.
These four corn are colored
red, blue, yellow, and white - representing the four directions
(the blue ear being the corn chosen by the Hopi in their migration
which signified humility and respect for their creator). Scattered
across the surface of the pottery are spatterings of yellow-orange
pigment, representing the corn pollen which is used as a sacred
offering during prayers, dances, and other important ceremonies.
This piece has also undergone
some very slight "distressing" - a technique used to
give the surface of the pottery a more vintage quality. This
characteristic is also indicative of the blue ear - a rough and
rugged but resilient way of life.
Rainy Naha was born in 1949
into the Spider/Stick clan as the daughter of Helen Naha (Feather
Woman) and the grand-daughter of Paqua Naha (the original Frog
Woman). Her siblings include Sylvia Naha Humpheries (d.) and
Burell Naha.
Of all Naha family decendents,
Rainy is perhaps the most prolific in her perpetuation of the
pottery tradition. Having won numerous awards, including blue
ribbons at the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market, the Eight
Northern Indian Art Show, and the Annual Heard Museum Show, it
is easy to see how such meticulous detail and innovative design
has taken Rainy's work to the top.
Rainy has been an active potter
for more than thirty years, and very active during the last ten.
She was taught by her mother, and signs all of her work with
her mother's hallmark feather, along with her name, "Rainy."
Thin walled vessels in both
traditional and contemporary shapes are the basis for her work.
The designs painted onto the vessels often incorporate her mother's
work, such as the Awatovi Star or bat wing patterns.