Narciso Abeyta

Narciso Platero Abeyta or Ha So Deh (1918-1998) was a Navajo painter and silversmith.

Early life and education
Abeyta was born in 1918. He is named after his father, Narciso. His mother was Pablita. He started drawing when he was eleven. He attended the Santa Fe Indian School, starting in 1939. Dorothy Dunn was his teacher. Abeyta was a Golden Gloves boxer. He served in World War II as a code talker. After he returned from service, he was unable to work for ten years due to his experiences at war. Eventually, he attended the University of New Mexico. He trained under Raymond Jonson.

Mid-life and career
Abeyta was primarily a painter. His paintings document Navajo life, and use brush stroke techniques that are reminiscent of Navajo rugs.

Abeyta would marry a Quaker woman. She was non-Native and was a ceramics artist. They had seven children, including artists Tony Abeyta and Pablita Abeyta. The family lived in Gallup, New Mexico.

Later life and legacy
He died in 1998 from a cerebral hemorrhage. His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, National Museum of the American Indian, and the Museum of New Mexico.

Major exhibitions

 * Translating Navajo Worlds: the Art of Narciso (Ha-So-De) and Tony Abeyta, 1994, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico