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
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. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
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