This is a deeply carved bowl by Mela Youngblood.  She was a daughter of Margaret Tafoya and began making pottery in the late 1960s.  She quickly achieved a distinctive style for her work.  Each piece of her work was very highly polished and when carved the edges are distinctly rounded.  This bowl is round in shape and deeply carved with a lighting over the mesa design.  The design is repeated eight times around the bowl.  The rim and base are fully polished and the bowl was fired a deep black.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  It is signed on the bottom, “Mela Youngblood”.