Bica, Nellie

Nellie Bica was possibly the most famous Zuni Pueblo potter of the mid-twentieth century. She was born around 1904 and learned to make pottery from her mother’s youngest sister. She, in turn, taught her daughter, Quanita Kalestewa, son-in-law Jack Kalestewa, and her granddaughters: Erma Jean Homer, Rowena Lemention and Connie Yatsayte.

Nellie was making pottery for the marketplace in her early teens (around 1917) and was still making pottery in the 1990s. She made polychrome jars, bowls, storytellers and three-lobed bowls with a single handle. Nellie was also a traditional weaver and made traditional dance outfits. But she is most famous for her pottery owl figures.