This is a large striking water jar by Daryl Whitegeese.  Daryl said he was inspired by the shapes of the water jars made by his grandmother, Margaret Tafoya.  The jar has an elongated neck with a turned-out rim that is sharp, in Daryl’s style.  There is also the classic double shoulder or “rainbow ridge”.  This is not just an added coil on the surface, but if you feel inside the jar, you can actually feel the second shoulder.  I wrote of the rainbow ridge on Santa Clara pottery:

“Sarafina was inspired by the myths and 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 jar is highly polished and traditionally fired a dark, glassy black.  There is a single bear paw as the design on one side of the neck.  The bear paws represent a Tewa story where a bear led the Pueblo people to water during a drought.   The jar is signed on the bottom, “Daryl Whitegeese”.  Definitely, a classic piece keeping family history alive!  Congrats to Daryl who recently won “Best of Pottery at the Heard Museum Indian Market in 2019!