Fred Kabotie — Hopi Silversmith Hallmark

Name-card placeholder — hallmark imagery to follow.

Hopi · documented in the T.Skies hallmark library

Fred Kabotie was a noted Hopi artist, teacher, and the father of silversmith Michael Kabotie (Lomawywesa). He is documented in Barton Wright's Hopi Silver as a central figure in the founding of the Hopi Silvercraft Guild in 1949 and in the post–World War II G.I. Bill silversmithing training program at Hopi.

Between 1948 and 1950, Fred Kabotie worked alongside Paul Saufkie to teach silver smithing and design at Hopi as part of the G.I. Bill training program for veterans. Willard Beatty, Director of Indian Education, met with Kabotie and Paul Saufkie in 1946 and arranged for the government to sponsor an eighteen-month silversmithing course for Hopi veterans. This program paid for the cost of training, provided necessary tools, and paid living expenses for the veteran and his family.

Fred Kabotie was elected secretary-treasurer of the Hopi Silver Craft Guild when it was established and served in that position. His son Michael Kabotie (Lomawywesa) (1942–2009) became a celebrated silversmith in his own right; Michael studied silver smithing in his father's high school class.

The Hougart record documents Fred Kabotie solely as an educator and institutional figure connected to the Guild; no personal hallmark is recorded for him.

Note: Fred Kabotie's primary identity in the historical record is as a Hopi painter and cultural figure, not as a practicing silversmith. His role in the Hopi silver tradition is documented as educator and administrator. This page records his documented role exactly as the corpus presents it.

The mark

No personal hallmark documented for Fred Kabotie in the available source record. His significance in the Hopi silver tradition is as a teacher and administrator, not as a hallmark-registered silversmith.

References

• Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Schiffer Publishing, 2022. (Referenced in Michael Kabotie entry approx. p. ~17736; Paul Saufkie entry approx. p. ~25494.)
• Wright, Barton. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Northland Publishing, 1989/1999. (Fred Kabotie context: Guild founding, G.I. Bill program, pp. ~2505–2520, ~2568, ~2835–2840.)

Know more about this artist or teacher? Contact T.Skies. See also: Michael Kabotie (Lomawywesa) (son).