Elizabeth Manygoats is a daughter of noted potter Betty Manygoats.  She is known for her folk-art style pottery with figures in relief or applique on the surface. Elizabeth says that she often emphasizes Navajo women and their daily lives in her work because “They’re the ones I look up to.”  This jar is one of her most famous shapes. The “jar” is in the shape of a tree. First, check out the top of the tree which is green.  That is the opening to the jar.  But is sculptural in form and slightly textured.  The trunk of the tree is also textured.  There is a Navajo girl leaning against the tree on one side. The Navajo boy, with a cowboy hat and holding a rope, is leaning against the opposite side. On the shoulder of the jar is a dog on one side and a sheep on the other.  Check out the detail of the texture of the wool on the sheep!  There is a subtle complexity to this piece with minimal added color but utilizing the natural colors of the clay and the shape of the jar as a tree.  The jar is traditionally fired to create variations in color to the clay surface.  After the firing, the entire piece is covered in pine pitch in the manner of traditional Navajo pottery.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Elizabeth M.”  Elizabeth has won numerous awards for her pottery over the years.  It can also be found in museums throughout the southwest.