WOW!  This is a stunning long neck jar by Margaret Tafoya and her daughter, Mela Youngblood.  Margaret made the jar and it was polished by Mela.  It is not often that they collaborated on pieces.  The jar is an elegant shape with a double shoulder, or “rainbow ridge”.  Interestingly, this ridge is not only more difficult to make, but adds more surface area to polish!  It has been written about the rainbow ridges:

“Sarafina was inspired by the legends of Santa Clara Pueblo, which were incorporated into her pottery. On the shoulder of her water jars, a second raised section or ‘double shoulder’ created a ‘rainbow band.’ This band was a prayer to keep the water from evaporating from the jar.” —CHARLES S. KING, 2008, Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya

The neck of the jar has three bear paws impressed into the clay.  The bear paw is symbolic of a bear that led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.  The jar was traditionally fired a deep black.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Margaret Tafoya (Maker), Mela Youngblood (finished by).  It is definitely a great piece of history and reflects the connection of generations within the pottery families.