130501-05 Hopi pottery jar by Joy Navasi, Frog Woman
Tall vase form with classic bird motif. Similar to examples pictured in the famous May 1974 Pottery Issue of Arizona Highways Magazine on the inside cover.
Joy Navasie (1919-2012) (second Frog Woman - Yellow Flower) was among the most famous of Hopi potters. She learned the skill from her famous mother, Paqua Naha, the first Frog Woman. Joy was born in 1919 and recalls that she started making pottery when she was about 17 years old. Paqua Naha, just a few years before she passed away, developed the white ware pottery style in the mid-1950s. Joy Navasie picked up the tradition and continued it until her retirement in 1995. Now, her daughters (Marianne Navasie, Leona Navasie, Natelle Lee, Loretta Navasie Koshiway and Grace Lomahquahu) have continued the tradition. Joy Navasie signed her pottery with a frog hallmark, as did her mother. There is a difference in the way they each drew the feet of the frog. Paqua Naha used short straight toes and Joy Navasie used webbed toes.