Tso, Faye

Faye Begody Tso (1933-2004) was a Dineh herbal medicine healer and potter. She was known for her non-traditional Dineh pottery incorporating images of dancers, Corn Maidens and warriors. Until she did it herself, most Dineh pottery had little or no decoration as it was meant to be either ceremonial or utilitarian. The only allowed ceremonial decoration was a fillet around the neck of a pot known as a biyo.

Bruce McGee, the chief trader at Keams Canyon at the time, said he was long bored by the Dineh pots (he called them “dark, bulky mud pots”) that were brought in until one day in 1974 when Faye Tso appeared in his doorway. She brought several large pots with appliquéd ears of corn and Yeibichai figures on them. Suddenly, he felt Dineh pottery could compete with Hopi pottery. That opened up a whole new world for Dineh potters.

Faye was born and grew up near Coal Mine Mesa. Coal Mine Mesa is in that part of the Dineh Nation/Hopi Reservation that was in question over a land dispute that goes back to about 1872. To contain part of the dispute between the Hopi and Dineh, the Bureau of Indian Affairs relocated most Dineh in the area to Tuba City, AZ in 1974. Faye and her family had to make that move. Selling some pots to Bruce McGee that day lightened their physical load and eased their financial path to Tuba City and beyond.

Faye learned to be an herbal medicine healer early in life. Her husband was also an herbal medicine healer and they raised their son Reed to be a healer, too. But then Reed went to college in California and stayed there raising a family, until he was enticed back to Tuba City by his grandfather.

Faye learned to make pottery from Rose Williams, one of her neighbors at Coal Mine Mesa. Faye’s pottery was often used by her family in their healing ceremonies. Relocated to Tuba City, she branched out into the world with her pottery and turned the world of Dineh pottery upside down.

In 1990 Faye was awarded the 1990 Arizona Indian Living Treasures Award.

Some Exhibits that featured works by Faye

• Fabric, Wood and Clay: The Diverse World of Navajo Art. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. February 2002 to July 2002
• The Navajo Folk Art Festival. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. February 9 & 10, 2002