Teresita Naranjo (1919-1999) - Santa Clara Black Carved Jar with Avanyu Design c. 1970-80s, 4.25" x 4.75" (P90249B-0915-002)

This pottery is in near excellent condition, with only minor surface wear. The bottom is signed "Teresita Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo". Acquired from a private collection in Arizona. The owner had purchased this pot sometime in New Mexico in the 1990s. Avanyu is Tewa for "water serpent" and is the Tewa deity, the guardian of water. Avanyu is the "one who lives in the water below the earth, one who carries us through the water of change." It symbolizes the importance for water to life in the desert and is also associated with lightning in the serpent's tongue. The curves of the serpent's body represent flowing water. Avanyu is believed to have birthed the waterways and has the voice of thunder. The sacred Avanyu lives in streams and is feathered with a turquoise horn in the middle of its forehead. The horn moves, sending rain for crops. When the Avanyu creeps on the ground and snaps its tail, it causes thunder, and when its tongue strikes out of it mouth, it causes lightening. Seeing the Avanyu it will bring luck and good health, and it means there is water nearby or that it will rain soon. The San Ildefonso and Santa Clara pueblos of New Mexico commonly use the Avanyu design in their pottery. Teresita Naranjo was a master potter who has been acknowledged as one of the finest Santa Clara Pueblo potters of the 20th century. Teresita is known as the first potter to carve outside the linear band, creating deep carvings with designs that seem to flow around the surface of her pottery. Her pieces can be found in the permanent collections of museums nationwide including The National Museum of the American Indian, the Denver Art Museum and the Heard.