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A:shiwi (Zuñi) Native North American, Zuni Pueblo

Water jar, ca. 1890

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

A:shiwi (Zuñi)

Title

Water jar

Year

ca. 1890

Medium

Earthenware

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • earthenware

Dimensions

26.7 x 35.6 cm (10 1/2 x 14 inches) (approximate)

Place

Zuni Pueblo

Type

  • Ceramics

Credit

Gift of Mr. Henry D. Sharpe

Object Number

16.058

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Form, Pattern, and Function

December 4, 1992 - January 24, 1993

The Zuni lived in adobe villages in the arid southwest, depending on uncertain river flow and seasonal rain for water. A relatively stationary farming people, they made pottery containers by the coiling method and painted them with yucca leaves. The base of this bowl is deeply indented so that it can be carried on the head, cushioned by a coil of cloth or yucca wrapped around the bottom. Characteristically Zuni is the division of the two design areas by a heavy black line which is broken by a vertical mark at one point. Called a "life line," it had be left open or broken so that spirit of the maker would not be caught inside the vessel. Reflected Zuni closeness with nature, the stomach of the jar is painted with three cloud and rainbird motifs; the neck displays four crook­with-stripes designs, representing ceremonial drumsticks, falling rain, and ears of corn. The bowl is worn around the rim from heavy use.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Water jar with the accession number of 16.058. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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