Otis Polelonema
Born(1902-02-21)February 21, 1902
Hopi Reservation, Shongopovi, Navajo County, Arizona, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1981(1981-12-27) (aged 79)
NationalityHopi Tribe
Other namesLomadamocvia,
Lomada-moc-via,
Springtime
Occupation(s)Artist, musician
Known forPainting, weaver, song composer
SpouseJessie Salaftoche
Children6

Otis Polelonema (1902–1981), was a Hopi painter, illustrator, weaver, song composer, and educator.[1][2] He lived in Shongopovi most of his life.[3] He also worked as a WPA artist in the mural division.[4][5] His native name in the Hopi language is Lomadamocvia which translates to "springtime".[6]

Biography

Otis Polelonema was born on February 21, 1902, the Hopi Reservation in Shongopovi (Hopi: Songòopavi), Arizona.[7][3] He learned to weave from his father and uncles, as it is tradition in Hopi culture for the men to be weavers.[3] Polelonema worked as a sheep farmer in his early life and again in later life.[6]

In 1914, he attended the Santa Fe Indian School, under the supervision of John DeHuff.[6] Polelonema took after-school art instruction classes at Elizabeth Willis DeHuff's house, studying alongside Fred Kabotie, Velino Shije Herrera, Awa Tsireh, and others.[6][8] He remained in Santa Fe until 1920, then returned to his hometown.[4][6]

In 1925, Polelonema married Jessie Salaftoche, and together they had 6 children.[6] His son Tyler Polelonema is a noted artist.[6]

Polelonema stopped painting in the 1970s, and started to focus on Hopi traditions and Hopi cultural arts.[6] In late life, he worked as a song composer of Hopi ceremonial dances, including songs of the Gray Flute society.[6] He taught Hopi weaving in 1971 at Mary Pendleton's Pendleton Fabric Craft School in Sedona, Arizona.[3]

Death and legacy

Otis died on December 27, 1981, at Shungopovi, during the Solstice Ceremony.[6][9] However, sometimes 1972 is attributed as his year of death.[10]

Polelonema's artwork can be found in museum collections, including at the Heard Museum,[11] Gilcrease Museum,[12] McNay Art Museum,[13] New Mexico Museum of Art (formerly Museum of New Mexico Art Gallery),[14] National Museum of the American Indian,[15] and the Detroit Institute of Arts museum.[16] His work is also part of the Elizabeth Willis DeHuff Collection of American Indian Art at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.[17][18]

Publications

  • DeHuff, Elizabeth Willis (1922). Taytay's Tales, collected and retold. Fred Kabotie (illustrator), Otis Polelonema (illustrator). New York City, NY: Harcourt, Brace and Company.

References

  1. ↑ Reno, Dawn E. (1995). Contemporary Native American Artists. Alliance Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9641509-6-6.
  2. ↑ Brody, J. J. (1992). A Bridge Across Cultures: Pueblo Painters in Santa Fe, 1910-1932 : an Exhibition at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 23 Through September 30, 1992 (Exhibition). Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Students in Sedona Learn Hopi Weaving Techniques". Newspapers.com. Arizona Daily Sun. August 13, 1971. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  4. 1 2 Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America. Sound View Press. 1999. p. 2628. ISBN 978-0-932087-55-3.
  5. ↑ Mellby, Julie L. (January 23, 2008). "Native American Art". Princeton University Library, Princeton University. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Otis Polelonema: Painter, Weaver, Song Composer". The Heard Museum Guild. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  7. ↑ Klein, Barry T.; Icolari, Daniel (1974). Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. Todd Publications. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-915344-00-0.
  8. ↑ Weideman, Paul (August 12, 2016). "Model students: Native painting from the Santa Fe Indian School". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  9. ↑ "Otis Poledonema in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014". Ancestry. December 1981.
  10. ↑ "Polelonema, Otis (Native American painter, 1902-1972)". Union List of Artist Names. The J. Paul Getty Trust.
  11. ↑ Luptak, Gene (October 24, 1986). "Pot of Gold". Newspapers.com. Arizona Republic. p. 40. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  12. ↑ "Long Hair Kachina / Otis Polelonema". Gilcrease Museum. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  13. ↑ "Otis Polelonema (b.1902, d.1972)". McNay Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  14. ↑ Project, Federal Writers' (2013-10-31). The WPA Guide to New Mexico: The Colorful State. Trinity University Press. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-1-59534-229-4.
  15. ↑ "Record Watermelon Boy". Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  16. ↑ "Hopi Bride". Detroit Institute of Arts Museum.
  17. ↑ "Elizabeth Willis DeHuff Collection of American Indian Art". Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  18. ↑ "Editor's Note: Life lessons from a distant relative on doing what is right". City & State PA. July 26, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
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