Qoyawayma, Al – Red Jar with Double Corn Design

This is a classic jar by Al Qoyawayma.  The jar has a round shoulder and an asymmetric rim.  It is made from traditional Hopi red clay.  The jar is polished in a vertical manner.  There are two ears of corn that are in “reppousse” or pushed out from the inside, NOT applique. This is very much in the style of his aunt, Elizabeth White. Each of the ears of corn is matte and textured to represent the kernels.  The contrast of the matte and polished surfaces works to enhance the design and form.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Al Qoyawyama”.   “The earliest corn motif is found on pottery in Ecuador dating to 1900 BC.  The technique was to push out from the inside of the pottery the basic form of the corn ear shape and then sculpt the kernel decoration or relief.  Al and Elizabeth White (his aunt) saw an exhibit of “Ancient Ecuador, CUlture, clay, and creativity” at the Field Museum in Chicago in 1975.  They realized that they were creating a similar technique at Hopi.  Elizabeth began using this motif in the early 1960s.  The corn motif is used in sacred respect of the corn in sustaining Native Americans over at least the last several thousand years.”  Al Qoywayama, Hopi Potter, 1984