Photograph by Addison Doty. Copyright 2010 School for Advanced Research.
Water jar | K'yabokya de'ele
Date: c. 1880
Artist or Maker: Unknown
Dimensions:
30.5 × 38.1 cm (12 × 15 in.)
Weight: 3.2 kg (6.95 lb.)
Medium: clay | paints
Place Made:
Zuni Pueblo, McKinley County, New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North America
Object Number: IAF.782
Not on view
Tribal Collection Review RemarksOctavius Seowtewa during collection review visit Nov. 16 and 17, 2009 (Events Record “Collection Review: Zuni Tribe, Review 3”): The walls of this jar are very thin and finely made. The jar is heavily decorated and the designs include four bucks and four fawns. Fawns are an unusual motif on Zuni pottery. There are several three-pronged bird track designs on the piece—they somewhat resemble hand-drawn arrows. A hole has been repaired with pine pitch on the interior of the jar, perhaps to prevent obscuring the designs painted on the exterior.
The word for a water jar in Zuni is “k'yabokya de'ele,” which translates to “water container vessel” in English. The intended use for these jars was to store and carry water, but they could also be used to store other items.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Jim Enote and Octavius Seowtewa during collection review visit January 9 and 10, 2014 (Events Record “Collection Review: Zuni Tribe, Review 12”): The rim exterior rim surface is damaged, but enough paint remains on it and on the interior to determine that it was painted black. The rim is slightly flared so that it could be used as storage jar with a cover tied over the top, and that may explain the damage to the paint on the exterior of the rim. The neck designs are made up of black and red bird elements including bird heads, crests, bodies, tails, and wings. The wing and tail designs are filled with red and black rain lines and cross hatching.
A black thick double line with a line break on the shoulder of the jar separates the neck designs from the body designs. The body designs are complex and divided into more design panels than typical for most jars. There are four horizontal panels and four vertical panels. The horizontal panels are all divided into three design bands. Two of the horizontal panels (on opposite sides of the jar) have a central black bird tail design filled with fine cross hatching, surrounded by red and black bird heads with crests, mirrored in the top and bottom bands. The center band between them contains two red fawns, identifiable by their spots. The other two horizontal panels (also located on opposite sides of the jar) have in the top band two black deer with red heartlines, each standing in a house arch made of bird wings, heads, crests, and feathers. The bottom band looks very similar, except the house arches are flipped, so that the arches wrap under the deer instead of over them. The center band between them has red and black bird head and wing designs.
The four vertical panels are also matched in pairs on opposite sides of the jar. Both designs have a four-sided star in the center but are surrounded by different configurations of bird heads, crests, feathers, and tails. In one panel the some of the bird elements are filled with red and black rain lines and cross hatching. In the other panel, some of the bird head elements include eyes. A thin black line with a line break separates the body designs from the base.
The base is painted solid dark brown and has a concavity for carrying the jar on the head.
In Collection(s)
Bibliography:
Matte-Paint Pottery of the Tewa, Keres and Zuni Pueblos
- Pg. 268 (text); 270 (photograph)
- Fig. Plate 34, c
The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo
- Pg. 153, 264
- Fig. 8.12c, 17.47
Pueblo Designs
- Pg. 49
- Fig. Plate XVI, 6
Historic Pottery of the Pueblo Indians, 1600-1800
- Pg. 144
- Fig. 152
The Pottery of Zia Pueblo
- Pg. 99
- Fig. 6.18
The Indian Arts Research Center, in collaboration with Native American community scholars, strives to present accurate collections records. Records may be updated as new information becomes available and is reviewed with the Native American community having cultural affinity to particular items. Please write to iarc@sarsf.org if you have questions or concerns related to the documentation.