Elmer Satala Jr. — Hopi Silversmith
Hopi silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Elmer Satala Jr., a Hopi silversmith, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: ES, his first mark, from his Hopi Guild years; from 1993, a bear paw with a stylized S forming the pad (Bahti (2007, p. 153); 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. 152), Elmer Satala Jr. was born in 1968 into the Bear Clan, from the village of Songoopavi on Second Mesa, and was a member of the last graduating class of the Hopi Guild, where he worked from 1992 until 1995. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 153) reported that his first hallmark, ordered at the Guild, was a simple "ES"; in 1993 he designed and ordered a new hallmark, a bear paw with a stylized "S" for the pad. [1]
On apprenticing with his uncle, Watson Honanie, from 1996, Elmer Satala Jr. told Bahti (2007):
“He taught me to high-polish, not satin-finish, from steel wool”
— Bahti (2007), p. 153 [1]
Of his work, he told Bahti (2007):
“I try to put meaning into it, to reflect Hopi life.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 153 [1]
Family in the directory: Watson Honanie
From the Library: Wright, Hopi Silver (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
According to Wright (2003, p. 103), Elmer Setalla Jr. (Wright's spelling), of the Bear clan at Shungopavi and Polacca, began silverwork in 1990, was self-taught and worked with Watson Honanie; Wright shows a bear-paw mark and the initials E.S. [3]
Field Notes by Mateo James
Wright's listing, under the spelling Setalla, calls Elmer self-taught and dates his start to 1990, while Bahti's 2007 profile places him in the Hopi Guild's last graduating class, working there from 1992 until 1995. I record both accounts as each book 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.
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