Jacob Koopee was born March 31, 1970. He is the great-great grandson of Nampeyo; great-grandson of Nellie Nampeyo Douma; grandson of Marie Koopee, and the son of Jacob Koopee, Sr. (Tewa) and Georgia Dewakuku Koopee.

In 1996, at the age of 26, Jake was awarded Best of Show, Committee's Choice, Best Traditional Pottery, at the Museum of Northern Arizona. He has successfully participated in and won awards at many Markets since then - including back-to-back "Best of Show" awards at both the Heard Museum and Santa Fe Indian Market 2005!

Jacob appears in several major publications on Hopi pottery including Hopi-Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaff (p. 59), and The Art of the Hopi by Jerry and Lois Jacka (pp. 118, 126).

He loves to base his work on old Sikyaki designs. Jake reports, "My Aunt Dextra (Quotskuyva) inspired me." Jake is a young man with extraordinary talent. He creates some of the largest hand coiled, open fired pieces of pottery at Hopi.

He has signed with his hallmark Kokopelli and last name Koopee.

Jacob is proud of his adherence to traditional methods which always produce a one-of-a-kind pottery, with its own unique character and finish. In Hopi culture, nothing is ever "perfect," and that's just the way he wants it.

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To hear the story that Jacob has to tell about this incredible follow-up to his 2005
"Best of Show" awards at both the Heard Museum and Santa Fe Indian Market is as compelling as the ground-breaking designs that have turned the heads of pottery collectors around the world.

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"I rarely title my pieces, but this one is different. I had been thinking a lot about my recent experiences at the Heard and Santa Fe. I was up late and it just kept coming into my mind: listen - listen to your grandmothers. I guess that's what this pot is all about because I had always wanted to try the classic migration design, but I had never done it. I hadn't really listened to my grandmothers when they had tried to show me. I was younger then and my attention wasn't really on pottery. But later I realized how important it is to listen - not only to the voices from your past, but also to the voices in your own heart and mind.

"That's what this pot really represents. It's a tribute to all those who have gone before me - especially my grandmothers. If you look closely you can see the influences of my grandmother Garnett in these designs right here [pointing to a panel on the pot], and of course Nampeyo is the great matriarch, so many of these can be attributed to her.

"Basically, it's really a combination of these influences and my own innovations. I think that's what "Best of Show" has really given me - the freedom to listen to my own heart and the courage to express my own vision of the past, present, and future."

 

Migration: A Journey Through Space & Time

The following photos chronicle the creation and emergence of this one-of-a-kind migration masterpiece. From polishing and painting, to the outdoor, sheep-dung firing, we were invited by Jacob to witness every step along the way. Enjoy!