This is an intricately carved collaborative piece by Nancy Youngblood and her son, Chris Youngblood.  Chris made, carved, and polished the box. The sides of the box have a male and female avanyu encircling the piece.  They are deeply carved with swirls and sharp angles and fully polished.  The lid of the box was made, carved, and polished by Nancy Youngblood.  Each avanyu is carved on the top of the lid and they extend upward on the handle. There is a male avanyu on one side and a female on the opposite side. The body of each avanyu consists of rain and lightning designs. The Avanyu, or water serpent, is a design often seen in Santa Clara Pueblo pottery and is part of a story where the avanyu saves the village from a flood.  The lid is as exceptional as the box, as it is flat and fully carved.

“The curved-down horn is the female avanyu and the kiva-step horn is the male avanyu. I love to carve. That is my favorite process in the whole pottery making.”  Nancy Youngblood, Spoken Through Clay

Both the lid and the box are perfectly fit with one another.  They were traditionally fired to a glassy black. The box is signed, “Chris Youngblood” and the lid is signed, “Nancy Youngblood”.  It is exciting to see a creative and elegant collaboration of their pottery.  They are both featured in the book, Spoken Through Clay.