Sharold Nutumya — Hopi Silversmith
Sharold Nutumya learned at Hopicrafts, Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records, and began silverwork at Oraibi-Mishongnovi in 1974 (Wright 2003, p. 89).
Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as Hopi, born in 1954, working in overlay and active since the 1970s, and notes that some pieces may also be marked for Kopavi International (Hougart 2022, p. 230). A water-symbol ring he made in 1992 appears in Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry (Bassman 1993, p. 43).
His hallmark
Hougart describes his mark as the initials S N, conjoined, "the S is larger than the N," and notes that he "uses SN on smaller pieces and a parrot on some - sometimes both" (Hougart 2022, p. 230). Wright lists him among the smiths who mark with initials (Wright 2003, p. 123).
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References
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 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.
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003) recorded his mark:
“Sharold Nutumya (signs SN joined)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 248 [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 248) recorded Sharold Nutumya as Hopi, of Oraibi and Mishongnovi, active from about 1974 in silver overlay jewelry, taught at the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild, with his work at Harry Nutumya's Hopi Market and Hamana So-o's Arts & Crafts. [4]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice the books name different workshops. Wright records that he learned at Hopicrafts, while Schaaf's 2003 entry names the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild as his teacher. He may have spent time at both; I show each as printed.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.