Modern Polychrome Female Storyteller c. 1970s by Virginia Naranjo

This Cochiti figurine features one central female figure with three children surrounded, two children in each hand and one wrapped in the shawl on her back. The shawl is worn over the manta, which is a wrap-around dress. Woven from native spun wool or cotton in deep, earthy colors like black or dark brown. Worn wrapped over one shoulder (leaving the other bare) and secured at the waist with a woven ceremonial sash; still actively worn during important cultural ceremonies, weddings, dances, and feast days. The details and motifs on the figurine's clothing have specific cultural meanings. The woman's hair is worn in the traditional Chonga, a traditional hair wrap or tied bun style, often tied on each side of the face or gathered in the back like this storyteller. 

A Deeper Look at Virginia Naranjo:

It was not until later in life that Virginia Naranjo (1932-2014) began to make polychrome storytellers. After suffering from a stroke, she began to make storytellers with her husband, Louis Naranjo (1932-1997), at their kitchen table surrounded by children and grandchildren. A physical representation of the symbolism that the storyteller represents. 

Louis and Virginia fashioned figurines of all sorts: angels, padres, storytellers, men with baseball hats, nacimientos, men and women in swimming suits with cameras around their necks, pueblo dancers, and mermaids. Through their joint devotion to their craft, the Naranjos not only built a fruitful life for their family but also established an enduring legacy in Native American art that continues to inspire. This figurine is signed on the bottom Virginia Naranjo.

Condition: very good

Provenance: this Modern Polychrome Female Storyteller by Virginia Naranjo c. 1970s is from the collection of a client from California.

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, figurines, Juanita Arquero, Louis Naranjo, Pauline Naranjo, Louis and Virginia Naranjo; Virginia Naranjo