Silas, Venora

The daughter of Roberta Silas, Venora Silas was born in 1967. Her heritage is half Hopi-Tewa, half Laguna Pueblo. Among her siblings were Antoinette Silas Honie, LouAnn Silas Komalestewa, Rolinda Silas Howato and Jofern Silas Puffer. Her mother began teaching her how to make pottery when she was about 10 years old. So as not to compete directly with any of her family members in the marketplace, she mostly made white jars decorated with black and red geometric designs, inspired by designs found on potsherds littering the ground around the many abandoned pueblos on Hopi land.