Photograph by Addison Doty. Copyright 2010 School for Advanced Research.
Water jar, miniature | K'yabokya de'ele
Date: before 1924
Artist or Maker: Unknown
Dimensions:
Dimensions: 7 × 10 cm (2 3/4 × 3 15/16 in.)
Weight: 0.2 kg (0.45 lb.)
Medium: clay | paints
Credit Line: Gift of James L. Seligman, 1924.
Place Made:
Zuni Pueblo, McKinley County, New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North America
Object Number: IAF.200
Not on view
Tribal Collection Review RemarksJim Enote and Octavius Seowtewa during collection review visit April 6 and 7, 2009 (Events Record “Collection Review: Zuni Tribe, Review 1”): This jar is not ceremonial. Though it is classified on the catalog card as Pseudo-Ceremonial, it should no longer be classified this way because it was not made with the intention of making the item appear ceremonial. (Furthermore, the Indian Arts Fund Catalog does not state that it is ceremonial, so IAF staff does not appear to have believed that at the time it was accessioned.) It was decorated with archaic motifs and antiqued in an attempt to make it look older than it really was. It also may have been meant as a miniature representation of a water jar.
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.
In Collection(s)
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.