Modern Polychrome Male Storyteller c. 2000 by Inez Ortiz

This sitting storyteller is simultaneously telling stories and playing a drum, while surrounded by four children, two sitting on his lap and two on his shoulders. This scene really makes the viewer smile. Some of the children are covering their mouths or eyes with their hands, indicating that they are feeling surprised, gasping, trying to hold back a laugh or secret, or reacting to something scary or unexpected. 

Throughout the figurine, rich black and warm brown pigments create striking contrast across the drum and clothing. The central figure wears a detailed sleeveless vest over a long-sleeved shirt. Geometric patterns bordered by double lines frame the vest, giving it the intricate texture of a woven textile. Rather than simply decorating individual elements, the artist established a unified, deliberate pattern system across the entire piece. Completing the ensemble, the drum includes a delicate, handcrafted mallet or beater made from a twig, fabric, and string. This item is not attached to the figurine.

Because their native language, Keres, is unwritten, storytelling remains the vital link for preserving these traditions at Cochiti Pueblo. They also became acute observers of the foibles of non-Native Americans and put what they saw into figurative pottery.

A Deeper Look at Inez Ortiz:

It is traditional for Pueblo potters to teach their children the art of pottery making starting at an early age. Cochiti Pueblo artist Juanita Inez Ortiz (1960-2008) Mapuwana ("Wild Rose") learned pottery making from her mother, Seferina Ortiz, and her grandmother, Laurencita Herrera. Inez's siblings, all of whom are potters, are Virgil, Joyce, and Janice (mother of Lisa Holt). She remained with traditional designs and shapes much like her mother and unlike that of Virgil and Lisa.

Inspired by her brother Virgil's artistic practice, Ortiz helped revive classic late 19th- and early 20th-century Cochiti human and animal forms, known as monos. She adhered strictly to traditional pottery techniques: hand-coiling her pieces, applying natural clay slips, and detailing her designs with a dark black pigment derived from wild spinach (guaco). This figurine is signed on the bottom Juanita "Wild Rose" Cochiti, NM, 2000.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Inez Ortiz Male Drummer Storyteller circa 2000 is from a client of Adobe Gallery.

Reference and Recommended Reading: 

• Pottery of the Southwest by Allan and Carol Hayes 

• Clay Mirror, From Monos to Storytellers: Reflections from Cochiti Pueblo by Tom & Charlotte Mittler

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, pottery making, Seferina Ortiz, Laurencita Herrera, Virgil Ortiz, Lisa Holt, Juanita Inez Ortiz