Creating them is an art and a spiritual undertaking in which the gathering of local clay and native plants and minerals used for painting are meaningful and sacred events. Storytellers are one example of contemporary handbuilt Pueblo pottery. With the coming of the railroad to New Mexico in the late 1800s, Native American artists delighted in mimicking their new visitors in storyteller sculptures, and their caricatures included supplicating padres, tourists, businessmen, cowboys and dancing bears. However, since that time figurative sculpture has flourished, especially at Cochiti and Jemez Pueblos, both just south of Santa Fe, in the forms of animals, birds, clowns, caricatures of outsiders and, more recently, images of mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers telling stories and singing to children. Between 15 there is little evidence of figurative work because missionaries and then scholars discouraged and denounced the making of figurative clay pieces. Figurines, especially human female figures, were an integral element in the Anasazi culture. It is in these delightful representations that the intense love of the Native American Indians for their children is clearly shown.įrom ancient times, clay figures were present in Pueblo pottery tradition. These sculptures show the storyteller singing the stories and, in many cases, the little ones seem to be paying little attention. Storytellers are the guardians of the stories of their ancestors. The storyteller is tasked with the responsibility of passing on personal, religious and cultural history to each child in the Pueblo, preserving history for future generations and ensuring continuity with the past. This is not a gender-based job in fact, it is a high honor to be a “storyteller” in the Pueblo. In tribes with no written language, cultural traditions and values historically have been passed down by tribal elders through songs and stories geared to teaching the young.
The storyteller is an adaptation of centuries-old creations in figurine pottery. Our Native American handbuilt storytellers are sought by collectors all over the world. Extremely talented Native American artisans create each storyteller with attention to every detail. These figures are one-of-a-kind handbuilt Native American sculptures called Pueblo storytellers. Crafted and accented with natural materials, we offer unique objects of art and craft. At Kachina House we carry a large selection of Native American storyteller figurines, handmade by artists from various tribes.
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