Pop Chalee facts for kids

Pop Chalee, whose real name was Merina Lujan (born March 20, 1906 – died December 11, 1993), was a talented American artist. She was known for her beautiful paintings and murals. Pop Chalee was also a performer and singer. In 2021, she was honored by being added to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. She was a member of the Taos Pueblo people.

Early Life and Taos Pueblo Roots

Pop Chalee was born on March 20, 1906, in Castle Gate, Utah. Her father, Joseph Cruz Lujan, was from Taos Pueblo. Her mother, Merea Margherete Luenberger, had mostly Swiss heritage.

The name Pop Chalee means "blue flower." Her grandmother from Taos Pueblo gave her this Tiwa name shortly after she was born.

When Pop Chalee was young, her family moved from Utah. She went to live with her father's half-brother, Santiago Espinoza, at Taos Pueblo. Even though she wasn't with her sisters, they stayed close because they lived nearby. After her first summer in Taos, her father sent the children to the Santa Fe Indian School.

Later, as a teenager, Pop Chalee moved back to Salt Lake City. She lived with her mother for a while and got her first job to help the family. At 16, she decided to leave home.

Adult Life and Public Speaking

On July 20, 1922, Pop Chalee married Otis Fred Hopkins. He was a European-American artist who worked with wood and metal. As she began her married life, people around the world became more interested in Native American art.

Pop Chalee had her first son, Jack Cruz, when she was 18. Less than two years later, her daughter Betty was born. Betty was also called Pop Pina, which means "Red Flower."

Pop Chalee and her family moved back to Taos. Even though she was married to someone from outside the Pueblo, her husband was accepted because of his skills. Her children grew up taking part in the Taos Pueblo community, just as she had.

After a year in Taos, the Hopkins family moved back to Salt Lake City. They moved often between different homes. During the Great Depression, Native American culture gained more attention across the country. Pop Chalee began giving talks in LDS churches. She spoke about Native American life. These talks helped connect her to her culture. She became a representative for her people. She continued to give public speeches to teach others about Native American life for many years.

Pop Chalee's Art Career

Pop Chalee didn't think about becoming an artist until something special happened. She visited a fortune teller in Utah. The fortune teller told her she would leave Utah and return to Taos. She said Pop Chalee would become someone important. This message inspired Pop Chalee to dream of going back to Taos.

Soon after, in the mid-1930s, Pop Chalee and her family moved back to New Mexico. She returned to the Santa Fe Indian School, where she had studied years before. She realized this was her chance to be an artist. She began studying painting there with Dorothy Dunn.

Starting out was a bit hard for Pop Chalee. She was older than most students and was the only woman for some time. But Dorothy Dunn was very supportive and patient. This helped Pop Chalee feel more confident about her artwork. She really enjoyed the school and found her place as an artist. She said, "When I got into the art, I just stuck to it until I finally developed myself, then it just kind of opened the gates and I went on."

At the school, Pop Chalee learned many art techniques and about art history. This made her even prouder of Native American artists. She once said that Native American artists paint in a way that tells a story with very few lines. They leave out unnecessary details and paint from memory. This helped her develop her own clear style.

After her first year, Pop Chalee worked at the Laboratory of Anthropology. She was paid to copy designs from old Native American pottery for Kenneth M. Chapman. This job helped her appreciate Native American arts even more. It also made her prouder of her Pueblo heritage. During this time, she was also asked to show her work at an exhibit at Stanford University. She also contributed to a magazine called School Arts. This was the start of her long and successful art career.

Family and Legacy

Pop Chalee passed away on December 11, 1993, in Santa Fe. She was the aunt of another painter, Pop Wea, also known as Lori Tanner. Pop Chalee's great-granddaughter, Maya Chalee Hopkins, born in 1978, is also an artist and designer. Maya was greatly inspired by her great-grandmother's artistic journey.