Sidney Sekakuku, Sr. — Hopi Silversmith Hallmark
Sidney Sekakuku was a half-brother of Paul Saufkie and learned silverwork from him. Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records Sidney Sekakuku as a member of the Snow clan from Shungopavi who began silverwork before 1940, and notes that Sidney Sekakuku had not done silverwork for a long time (Wright 2003, p. 77).
Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as "Sidney Sekakuku, Sr. (c.1916-?; Hopi)," active before the 1940s in hand-wrought work and overlay, and gives his mark as an S "above a thundercloud," usually also with a Hopi Guild mark (Hougart 2022, p. 282). Wright lists a younger smith, Sidney Sekakuku, Jr., separately (Wright 2003, p. 86).
The hallmark
Wright labels the mark "Thunderhead." The printed drawing shows a small S-shaped squiggle above a cluster of four small rings, one arrow pointing up to the left and a longer one up to the right, all over four narrow upright bars (Wright 2003, p. 77).
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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.
- 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.
Bernard Dawahoya told Schaaf (2003, p. 131) that he began making jewelry at about fifteen while working at his uncle Sidney Sekakuku's sheep camp, and Schaaf named Sidney Sekakuku and Washington Talayumptewa as his teachers. [3]
Schaaf (2003, p. 132) also named Sidney Sekakuku and Washington Talayumptewa as uncles of Bueford Dawahoya. [3]
Schaaf (2003) recorded his hallmark:
“(hallmark - thunder cloud, S)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 283 [3]
Schaaf (2003, p. 283) recorded Sidney Sekakuku, Sr. as Hopi of Shungopavi, active from before 1940 in hand-wrought and overlay jewelry, a son of Smiley Humeyumptewa, brother of Alice Kabotie and uncle of Bernard Dawahoya, taught by Paul Saufkie and the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild. [3]
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.