Modern Oval Jar with Male and Female Avanyu

Christopher Youngblood, son of Nancy Youngblood, created this amazing oval jar of natural tan clay, which he left in matte state, and highlighting the Avanyu design is a highly polished red slip. He distinguished the two Avanyu, one as male and the other as female. The difference between the two appears to be in the plume on each serpent's head. The elaborate detail on each Avanyu is astonishing. The jar was made in 2020. It is signed and dated.

What is an Avanyu:? a deity of the Tewa Pueblos—San Ildefonso, Tesuque, San Juan, Santa Clara, Nambe, and Pojoaque—and is the guardian of water. He is represented as a horned or plumed serpent with curves suggestive of flowing water or the zig-zag of lightning. He appears on the walls of caves located high above canyon rivers in New Mexico and Arizona and may be related to the feathered serpent of Mesoamerica— Quetzalcoatl and related deities.

TAGS: Margaret Tafoya, Mela Youngblood, Santa Clara Pueblo, Southwest Indian Pottery, Nancy Youngblood, Nathan Youngblood, Christopher Youngblood