The Hopi are renowned worldwide for their distinctive silversmithing techniques, and their unique silver overlay jewelry is instantly recognizable as Hopi Indian silver jewelry. Unlike the designs particular to the Navajo and Zuni, Hopi jewelry emphasizes meaningful patterns wrought in silver rather than featuring stones – with designs often reflecting ancient petroglyphs, potsherds, or Katsinas.
Silver jewelry was introduced to the Hopi and other Pueblo people by the Spanish conquistadors, but it wasn’t until the 1890s that a small number of Hopi men learnt and began practicing the art of silversmithing. The first of these was Lesou, the husband of famous potter Nampeyo, and he himself was taught by Zuni artists.
Hopi Overlay Technique
Specific to the Hopi, the distinctive overlay technique was developed in the 1930s. It involves a design cut from a flat piece of silver. The background piece of silver is textured and oxidized to make it black in color, and the cut-out piece with the design is soldered to this base. Accent stones are rarely, if ever, used.
Paul Saufkie is known for pioneering the Hopi silver overlay technique.
Born in 1898, Paul was first taught the craft of silversmithing by his father in the 1920s. He was incredibly talented and became renowned for rendering early, traditional Hopi designs in silver, developing the overlay technique that is now so characteristic of Hopi jewelry. He later began teaching others.
After World War II, returning soldiers from the Hopi Reservation and their families faced a turning point. There were limited employment opportunities on the Hopi mesas; farming was seasonal and labor-intensive, and insufficient to adequately support their growing families. Without new income sources, there was major concern that young Hopi people would be forced to relocate, even though many wished to remain on their ancestral lands.
In mid-1946 the Director of Education for the Indian Service, Dr. Willard Beatty, visited a Hopi arts and crafts exhibit at Shongopovi on the Second Mesa within the Hopi Reservation. Inspired by this visit, he decided to establish a silversmithing and craft school for Hopi veterans who had returned from fighting in the Second World War. This school was supported and underpinned by the GI Bill of Rights, which was a law passed to provide benefits to returning WWII veterans in the USA.
Noted Hopi artist and painter Fred Kabotie, who was an art instructor at Hopi High School, was hired as design director of this new school for veterans. Paul Saufkie’s services as head craftsman were also secured at this time. Paul’s legacy as the foremost artisan and teacher in the development of Hopi silver overlay jewelry was cemented during this period.
In early 1947, thirteen Hopi veterans enrolled in the school and received daily instruction in the art of silversmithing and design. They developed and mastered intricate grinding, cutting, and polishing techniques for many genuine Hopi designs (inspired and stylized based on old pottery and basket decorative patterns) to suit sand casting, die-stamping, and the overlay technique. The class grew in number and nineteen students graduated in 1949 – after which fifteen new students commenced their studies immediately.
Paul Saufkie with a Silversmithing Student, Hopi Indian Reservation, AZ. Photo by Milton Snow c. 1944–1950. Image courtesy of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, Arizona State Museum
In 1949, Paul further partnered with Fred Kabotie to create the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild on the Second Mesa. This initiative trained Hopi silversmiths in the fundamentals of design, toolmaking, and fabrication techniques, and encouraged artists to create their own expressions of Hopi identity. It also provided them with a place to work, financial support, and the materials to craft their own pieces. The intent of this was to, in part, keep Hopi men at home rather than moving to the cities, encouraging returned soldiers to stay on their mesas, support their families, participate in religious ceremonies, and actively help preserve their language and culture.
The Guild was known as being an enjoyable place to be, with up to thirty men working alongside each other in a large room; conversing, joking, collaborating, and listening to traditional music. These Veterans Classes produced many of the twentieth century’s most influential Hopi silversmiths.
This form of the Guild disbanded after 1960.
Paul Saukie passed from this world in 1993 – but he left a legacy that will last forever.
Today, the Hopi Arts and Crafts Silvercraft Cooperative Guild is a non-profit membership organization. It helps its members promote their arts and crafts, and trains them to be able to ultimately sell their work in private stores throughout the mesas and beyond. The Native American jewelry sold through the Guild is hallmarked with the clan mark of the artist as well as the sun symbol.
Hopi Indian Jewelry at Indian Traders
The Hopi is one of the Southwest’s smallest Native American tribes, and their jewelry is produced in much lower volumes than that of the Navajo, for example.
Each piece of jewelry is incredibly special, telling a story of both the artist and these peaceful people who are spiritual, resilient, and reverent of our natural world.
Today’s talented Hopi artisans, whose work we highlight at Indian Traders, reflect the discipline and skill passed down by Paul Saufkie. From Darren Seweyestewa to Pat Tewaina and many others, we are very proud to bring you the very best of Hopi design and craftsmanship.
Browse our catalog of Hopi Indian Silver Jewelry for your special piece today.