Dominguita Sisneros Naranjo, Ohkay Owingeh Potter

Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo has a long history of pottery production going back probably a thousand years, but by 1890 production had come to a complete halt. Perhaps it was the pueblo's close location to Espanola, NM (about 6 miles) and the availability there of commercial goods that made pottery production unnecessary.

In 1930, Regina Cata organized a pottery study group with the intent of reviving pottery production; eight potters studied ancient potsherds of wares made at their pueblo in earlier times and selected Potsuwi'i Incised Ware (1450-1500) as a basis for a contemporary pottery type.  Decorative zones of geometric fine lines with selected areas of polished red slip were the final result. This tall jar is a fine example of contemporary Ohkay Owingeh Incised Ware. Micaceous slip decorates the incisions.

Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo artist Dominguita Sisneros Naranjo (1942 - ) learned pottery making from her mother, Tomasita Montoya, who was one of the original eight potters metioned above.

TAGS: Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Tomasita Montoya, Regina Cata, Southwest Indian Pottery