This storage jar is one of the classic Santa Clara shapes by Jason Ebelacker. He is a son of Richard Ebelacker and grandson of Virginia Ebelacker.  His father and grandmother were both known for their storage jar vessels, as well as his great-grandmother, Magaret Tafoya.  Jason creates a similar form with the round shoulder and the short neck. The distinctive shape gives the jar a feeling of size and width. The jar has two bear paws impressed into the clay and they are fully polished, as is the entire surface of the jar.  The bear paws are symbolic of a Santa Clara story where a bear led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  This jar is as historic as it is modern in appearance.  The piece is traditionally fired red.  It is signed on the bottom, “J. Ebelacker”.   Jason is certainly one of the younger potters to watch!