Otis Polelonema

Otis Polelonema (1902–1981), was a Hopi painter, illustrator, weaver, song composer, and educator.[1][2] He lived in Shongopovi most of his life.[3] He also worked as a WPA artist in the mural division.[4][5] His native name in the Hopi language is Lomadamocvia which translates to "springtime".[6]

Otis Polelonema
Born(1902-02-21)February 21, 1902
Hopi Reservation, Shongopovi, Navajo County, Arizona, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1981(1981-12-27) (aged 79)
NationalityHopi
Other namesLomadamocvia,
Lomada-moc-via,
Springtime
Occupation(s)Artist, musician
Known forPainting, weaver, song composer
SpouseJessie Salaftoche
Children6

Biography

Otis Polelonema was born on February 21, 1902, the Hopi Reservation in Shongopovi (Hopi: Songòopavi), Arizona.[7][3] He learned to weave from his father and uncles, as it is tradition in Hopi culture for the men to be weavers.[3] Polelonema worked as a sheep farmer in his early life and again in later life.[6]

In 1914, he attended the Santa Fe Indian School, under the supervision of John DeHuff.[6] Polelonema took after-school art instruction classes at Elizabeth Willis DeHuff's house, studying alongside Fred Kabotie, Velino Shije Herrera, Awa Tsireh, and others.[6][8] He remained in Santa Fe until 1920, then returned to his hometown.[4][6]

In 1925, Polelonema married Jessie Salaftoche, and together they had 6 children.[6] His son Tyler Polelonema is a noted artist.[6]

Polelonema stopped painting in the 1970s, and started to focus on Hopi traditions and Hopi cultural arts.[6] In late life, he worked as a song composer of Hopi ceremonial dances, including songs of the Gray Flute society.[6] He taught Hopi weaving in 1971 at Mary Pendleton's Pendleton Fabric Craft School in Sedona, Arizona.[3]

Death and legacy

Otis died on December 27, 1981, at Shungopovi, during the Solstice Ceremony.[6][9] However, sometimes 1972 is attributed as his year of death.[10]

Polelonema's artwork can be found in museum collections, including at the Heard Museum,[11] Gilcrease Museum,[12] McNay Art Museum,[13] New Mexico Museum of Art (formerly Museum of New Mexico Art Gallery),[14] National Museum of the American Indian,[15] and the Detroit Institute of Arts museum.[16] His work is also part of the Elizabeth Willis DeHuff Collection of American Indian Art at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.[17][18]

Publications
  • DeHuff, Elizabeth Willis (1922). Taytay's Tales, collected and retold. Fred Kabotie (illustrator), Otis Polelonema (illustrator). New York City, NY: Harcourt, Brace and Company.

References
  1. Reno, Dawn E. (1995). Contemporary Native American Artists. Alliance Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9641509-6-6.
  2. Brody, J. J. (1992). A Bridge Across Cultures: Pueblo Painters in Santa Fe, 1910-1932 : an Exhibition at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 23 Through September 30, 1992 (Exhibition). Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
  3. "Students in Sedona Learn Hopi Weaving Techniques". Newspapers.com. Arizona Daily Sun. August 13, 1971. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  4. Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America. Sound View Press. 1999. p. 2628. ISBN 978-0-932087-55-3.
  5. Mellby, Julie L. (January 23, 2008). "Native American Art". Princeton University Library, Princeton University. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  6. "Otis Polelonema: Painter, Weaver, Song Composer". The Heard Museum Guild. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  7. Klein, Barry T.; Icolari, Daniel (1974). Reference Encyclopedia of the American Indian. Todd Publications. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-915344-00-0.
  8. Weideman, Paul (August 12, 2016). "Model students: Native painting from the Santa Fe Indian School". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  9. "Otis Poledonema in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014". Ancestry. December 1981.
  10. "Polelonema, Otis (Native American painter, 1902-1972)". Union List of Artist Names. The J. Paul Getty Trust.
  11. Luptak, Gene (October 24, 1986). "Pot of Gold". Newspapers.com. Arizona Republic. p. 40. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  12. "Long Hair Kachina / Otis Polelonema". Gilcrease Museum. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  13. "Otis Polelonema (b.1902, d.1972)". McNay Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  14. Project, Federal Writers' (2013-10-31). The WPA Guide to New Mexico: The Colorful State. Trinity University Press. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-1-59534-229-4.
  15. "Record Watermelon Boy". Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  16. "Hopi Bride". Detroit Institute of Arts Museum.
  17. "Elizabeth Willis DeHuff Collection of American Indian Art". Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  18. "Editor's Note: Life lessons from a distant relative on doing what is right". City & State PA. July 26, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
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