This new jar by Linda Tafoya-Sanchez is striking in design and polish.  The water jar has a round shoulder and a short neck.  The neck is carved with 28 feathers, each extending downward.  There are an additional 28 feathers carved extending up from the base, for a total of 52.  Around the shoulder there are two avanyu, each deeply carved into the clay.  As the water serpent (avanyu) represents the water, here Linda has portrayed it flowing through the river.  Note as well the square shape of the head on Linda’s avanyu, which is inspired by the work of her father, Lee Tafoya.  There are two additional rows of design above and below the avanyu. It is the “walking Bear paw” design seen in the work of her grandmother Margaret Tafoya.  The style of the bowl has a very modernist appearance and yet is classic in traditional design elements.  The jar is fired a deep,, glassy black.  It is signed on the bottom, “Linda Tafoya-Sanchez”.

The story of the Water Serpent as told by Toni Roller:

“The water serpent, we were told, it represents life. It represents the water, which is important to life, to people, plants, and animals. The water design is very important to put on pots to honor that serpent. We used to ask, “What is the water serpent?” We were told the water serpent is in the rivers, the big rivers. At one time, when my mother was young, there were no bridges to cross over the Rio Grande. They were always told that if you see a water serpent, your life is going to be long. She did see one laying on the rock. She said it was huge, snakelike, and she said she just stared at it and couldn’t holler for anyone else to see. If you look at the serpent design, it has all the weather designs. The lightning on the tongue of the serpent, and there are mountain designs and rain designs and all the weather elements. .”  Toni Roller, Spoken Through Clay