Larrisena Manygoats is a daughter of Elizabeth Manygoats and a granddaughter of Betty Manygoats.  This wedding vase is a continuation of her grandmother’s famous style.  It has a distinctive Dine (Navajo) pottery with its “folk art” feel to the designs.  Betty began using the horned lizard as a design on her pottery around 1978.  The scales on the lizards are created using a bobby pin!  This jar has a round shoulder and an elongated neck.  The jar has 38 horned lizards in relief on the surface.  Her lizards are always charming in design and it is exciting to see her working at a larger scale.  The vase was traditionally fired, and there are some beautiful color variations from the heat of the fire!  After the vase is fired, it is covered in pine pitch in the manner of traditional Navajo pottery.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “LSM.”  It is exciting to have the work of a younger potter and watch the continuation of a legacy in clay!

Why the horned lizard?  “In the Diné culture Horned Toad is addressed as “grandpa” (shicheii). It possesses spiritual power. When you see one, pick it up and rub it on your chest and say, “I will be in good health and harmony.” If you have corn pollen sprinkle it as an offering and then let the horned lizard loose where you found it. You will then have good health and harmony. It is believed that the horned toad is dressed with an armored shield, which is called arrowhead. The spiky horns on the body represent the arrowheads. This protects the horned toad from predators. It was placed on earth with songs and prayers so that in the future the Diné would utilize it. The Diné still know and use its sacred prayers and songs for protection.”  Traditional Dine Teachings on Wildlife (1998)