For some reason, the excitement over kiko's Hopi pot made me feel like sharing some of the only NA pottery I have. Some years ago now, while visiting an aunt & uncle in AZ, as a treat they took me to the Grand Canyon. In addition to absorbing the wonder of the place, I hit nearly all the souvenir shops, looking for something that really grabbed me. I wanted a Zuni 'fetish' & a piece of pottery. It wasn't until we were very close to leaving that I spotted a Zuni badger in black & white stone next to the cash register in one place. It was even closer in time when I finally checked out the one shop that said they were the oldest, independent & family owned, not part of the concession that ran the others & was arrested by a little piece, in a glass cabinet, that, as the proprietor of a turtle, just made me chuckle. Margaret Gutierrez, Santa Clara, story teller turtle: I don't know if he was the owner, but the man who helped me told me about how Margaret & her brother Luther worked together, with Margaret doing the painting, how devastated she was when he died, & how she had only recently begun to work on her own. My turtle & her clambering clowns cost me a pretty penny; doing a quick search, seems it may not have been as unwise as I think it struck my aunt & uncle. When I found another on eBay for less, I snagged it too. I can only remember which is which by counting teeth: Seller of turtle #2 also had a small one, so now I have a herd: I have a few other small pieces, including an octopus & an all black goat, but these are my favorites, offered here for your amusement.
And amuse me they did. Seeing the mouth of the first one almost made me spit tea over my laptop. And there was more to come, so I have put my tea aside to concentrate on your 'turtle hurd'. They are great, thank you for showing us. And it is good to see that the artist was able to make such fun and joyous pieces in spite of her loss.
She was on a shelf right at my eye height & the sight of a turtle with a tooth singing away just tickled me. I had been boggled by all the pots I had seen, they were becoming a blur of clay, & then she came into my life, like the stray kitten who finds you, & I had to take her home.
We lost her not so long ago: Update: we sadly announce that Margaret Gutierrez of Santa Clara Pueblo passed away on the 22nd or 23rd of January, 2018.
What joyous little critters. I loved that you found others so they could have friends to play with. I love your story. I always remember the things that spoke to me when we were introduced. Thanks so much for sharing.
