Wayne & Emory Sekaquaptewa — Hopi Silversmiths Hallmark
Wayne and Emory Sekaquaptewa owned and managed Hopi Enterprises, the shop that later became Hopicrafts, which made silverwork as well as selling it wholesale and retail. Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records them as members of the Eagle clan from Hotevilla who learned from Harry Sakyesva and began silverwork in 1960 (Wright 2003, p. 81). Wayne died in 1979.
Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks gives each brother his own entry. It lists "Emory Sekaquaptewa, Jr. (1928-2007; Hopi)," active since the 1960s in overlay, silver and gold, and an "Academic, author and judge in the Hopi Tribal Court," who "shared the stamp with his late brother Wayne Sekaquaptewa, with whom he founded the Hopicrafts enterprise." It lists "Wayne Sekaquaptewa (?-1979; Hopi)," active from the 1960s until 1979, and notes that "Wayne was active with business matters and made limited amount of jewelry." Both entries give the mark as "SEKAQUAPTEWA and a Hopicrafts logo" (Hougart 2022, p. 282).
Their hallmark
Wright labels their mark "Sekaquaptewa." The printed mark is the name SEKAQUAPTEWA in bold hand-lettered capitals on a single line (Wright 2003, p. 81).
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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.
Schaaf (2003) wrote:
“Emory Sekaquaptewa and his brother, Wayne, learned to make jewelry from Harry Sakyesva in Phoenix.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 283 [3]
Schaaf (2003, p. 283) recorded Emory Sekaquaptewa, Jr. as a son of Judge Emory Sekaquaptewa, Sr. and Helen Sekaquaptewa, with a law degree from the University of Arizona, and (p. 284) Wayne Sekaquaptewa as a World War II veteran awarded the Silver Star who began making silver overlay in 1960 and died in 1979. [3]
Schaaf (2003) wrote that they
“moved their shop back to Kykotsmovi and changed their name to Hopicrafts.”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 284 [3]
Schaaf (2003, p. 336) named Wayne Sekaquaptewa and Hopicrafts as the teachers of the Hopi overlay jeweler Gary Yoyokie, active from about 1969. [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.