Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery
Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery is a 1,400 year old technique handed down from our ancestors, the people known as the "Anasazi". Santa Clara Pueblo pottery is found nowhere else in the world. Highly burnished to a mirror finish, by hand, using only a smooth stone on a wet surface, each piece is made without the use of a wheel, machinery, or kiln. All pottery is fired outdoors traditionally. Each hand built vessel is made using hundreds of hours of labor and is regarded as one of the most difficult forms of pottery, as Santa Clara is known for its very deep and time consuming carvings, as well as the sheer size of some vessels such as storage jars (olla). The variations in colors range from jet black to deep red, and everywhere in between, often they come out chocolate, plum colored, or even gunmetal, depending on ambient moisture levels. Pieces from this particular tribe and village in Northern New Mexico, can fetch anywhere from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a SINGLE pot, depending on age and quality. Some pieces of certain families from here are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institute.
Wedding Vases
A piece dedicated to the marriage of a man and woman, each taking a sip from the two spouts, signifying the bond that has been created. This shape is a trademark of Santa Clara Pueblo, and is often imitated in popular culture and art from the area. The stylized three toed bear paw is from the Margaret Tafoya family.
Storage Jars (Olla)
The storage jar, or Olla, as it is known across the southwestern United Sates, is usually gigantic and round and is always used for the storage of dry goods and grains. Often without carving, this pot was utilitarian and some extraordinarily large vessels can fetch over $100,000. Only the most skilled master potters can accomplish such feats.
Water Jars
The water jar, typically with at least one or more shoulders, has a wide base and narrow neck, often very thin and lightweight, and featuring a concave bottom, it is carried on the head, to transport water from the river and springs in the old days. Water jars from Santa Clara Pueblo often had a double shoulder called a"rainbow band" which the elders would say helps keep the water cool and sweet. Older vessels that were actually used were not polished to allow them to "breath" and keep liquids cool and fresh. Modern water jars are polished because they are no longer actually used and are considered art.
ornaments
Ornaments of various animals, shapes and sizes, for all occasions.