Dorothy Poleyma — Hopi Silversmith
Hopi silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Dorothy Poleyma, a Hopi jeweler, was profiled with her husband, Raymond Kyasyousie, in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: DPK (conjoined initials) (Hougart (2022)).
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 74), Dorothy Poleyma was born in 1960 to Ramona Loloma and Walter Poleyma and is a member of the Badger Clan. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 75) reported that she and her sisters, nieces of Charles Loloma, used his tools and were introduced to soldering, sand-casting, lost-wax casting, and stonecutting and grinding. [1]
Dorothy Poleyma told Bahti (2007):
“I started out in 1992 making stampwork bangle bracelets, and then I learned how to set stones and sold them at Monongye Gallery”
— Bahti (2007), p. 75 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 75), as of 2007 she was experimenting with textured sheet silver, replacing an earlier method of fusing silver filings onto sheet, and made abstract modern jewelry with amethyst, garnet and agate as well as turquoise, coral and malachite. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 75), Poleyma described her practice this way: after starting with basic designs, she added clan symbols, and from there began incorporating clan stories into her work. [1]
Family in the directory: Raymond Kyasyousie · Charles Loloma
From the Library: Wright, Hopi Silver (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
According to Wright (2003, p. 65), Dorothy Poleyma, another niece of Charles Loloma, had worked since 1989, developing an individual look to her jewelry. [3]
According to Wright (2003, p. 102), Dorothy Poleyma Kyasyousie, of the Badger clan at Hotevilla, began silverwork in 1989 and learned from Raymond Kyasyousie; Wright lists her as a daughter of Ramona Poleyma and labels her mark 'Initials'. [3]
From the Library: Bassman, The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry (1993)
1993 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1993, not today.
Bassman (1993), listing her under her married name, pictured:
“Earrings with malachite stones made in 1992 by Dorothy Kyasyousie.”
— Bassman (1993), p. 21 [4]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003) entered her as
“Dorothy Poleyma Kyasyousie (Dorothy Poleyma), (signs DP)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 208 [5]
Schaaf (2003, p. 208) recorded Dorothy Poleyma as Hopi, active from about 1989, a daughter of Ramona Loloma Poleyma and Walter Poleyma, a niece of Charles Loloma and the wife of Raymond Kyasyousie, with an A.A. in business from Lamson College, taught by Verma Nequatewa and her husband Raymond, and selling through the Monongya Gallery near Oraibi. [5]
Dorothy Poleyma told Schaaf (2003):
“It has taken me over 10 years to get this far.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 208 [5]
Schaaf (2003, p. 250) listed Dorothy Poleyma Kyasyousie in its hallmark index under DP, initials it gave to five makers. [5]
Field Notes by Mateo James
Dorothy told Bahti (2007, p. 75) that she started out in 1992, and Hougart lists her as active since the 1990s. Wright (2003, p. 65) says she had worked since 1989. I show both dates as printed.
Wright's 2003 listing gives 1989 as the year Dorothy Poleyma began silver work, while in her own words to Bahti she started out in 1992 making stampwork bangle bracelets. I record both dates as each source gives them.
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003. Originally published by Northland Publishing. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1993. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1993.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
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