Yepa, Emma

Emma Yepa is well-known for her distinctive two-toned, red and white, swirl melon jars. They have earned her multiple ribbons through her participation in the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show, the Jemez Red Rocks Arts and Crafts Show and the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market.

Emma was born into Jemez Pueblo in 1965 and learned how to make pottery from her mother, Ida Yepa, as she was growing up. She got some pointers from her aunt, Alvina Yepa, too. Her grandmother was Reyes Shendo Toya, a woman who was active in the first attempt to revive the Jemez pottery tradition in the 1930s.