Rainy Naha has been my dearest friend for more than twenty years - before I was ever dealing in Native American fine art and collectibles. She and Marlinda Kooyaquaptewa (Chavarria) called us their Corn Boys. I learned so much from them during those early years, and we've all remained very close ever since.

It’s been an honor and a privilege to handle her exquisite works of art. She carries on a special family tradition - one upon which she has uniquely improved. Her whiteware pottery is reminiscent of her mother’s - Helen (Feather Woman) Naha, but Rainy incorporates soft colored clay slips into her innovative designs. The results are striking and unmistakable. This pot features a moth and dragonflies, along with pottery shards that are occasionally found scattered across Hopiland and often serve as inspiration for traditional pottery designs.

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Artist Bio:

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.

Her work is primarily Hopi clay with a white slip applied before the polychrome designs, sometimes known as Walpi Polychrome. All of her pieces are made using traditional clay, paints, and methods of forming and firing. Rainy has also added other clay slips to her work, with pieces often having up to five different colors.