Nampeyo, Shirley Benn

Born in 1936 on the Hopi Reservation, Shirley Benn Nampeyo was the daughter of Daisy Hooee and Neil Naha (Paqua Naha‘s son). Her parents divorced shortly after she was born. Daisy worked with the Peabody Museum’s Awatovi Expeditions between 1935 and 1938. She collected many ancient designs from the pottery, wall murals and textiles they unearthed.

After the archaeological endeavors ended in 1938, Daisy met and married Leo Poblano of Zuni Pueblo and moved her family to his home there. Shirley grew up spending time at both Hopi and Zuni, going to school at Zuni and at Keams Canyon, then finishing at Albuquerque Indian School. She said she left school in 11th grade because her mother was living alone at Zuni.

Growing up at Zuni meant getting experience in making jewelry, necklaces and pins. Daisy stopped making pottery for almost ten years, learning instead to be a silversmith with her husband. Shirley learned to make jewelry, too, as she was growing up. Leo was a good stepfather to Daisy’s kids and life was good. Daisy went back to making pottery shortly before Leo died in a firefighting accident (like many men from the pueblos, he worked seasonally as a wildland firefighter).

Shirley’s time at Hopi was mostly spent in her grandmother Annie Healing’s home. There she was surrounded by several generations of potters of the Nampeyo family (Nampeyo of Hano was her great-grandmother).

Shirley first became a silversmith, then she learned to make pottery when Daisy started teaching ceramics classes at Zuni High School. Her daughter Cheryl became a potter and has collaborated on a few pieces of pottery with Shirley. Shirley also collaborates with her husband in making jewelry. They earned several ribbons for their jewelry at the Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial in the 1980s.

When Shirley makes pottery, she goes to Hopi because her neighbors at Zuni object to the smell of the sheep manure she uses for her firing. At Hopi everyone is used to that smell.