Zuni Pueblo Terrace Rim Jar with Animal Figures [SOLD]

One always wonders in what manner a “ceremonial bowl” was used in a ceremony and in what ceremony it may have been used.  There are many ceremonies in kivas for which ceremonial bowls are probably used but that is about the extent of the knowledge we have about them.

This terraced pottery bowl, from appearances, dates to circa 1940s.  The clay is very slick to touch and not porous as normally seen in traditional water jars or food bowls.  Perhaps it was highly polished since it was meant to hold liquid and was not meant to allow for it soaking through the bowl as is desirable in water jars—a method of cooling the drinking water.  

The interior of the bowl has the obligatory water creatures—frog and tadpoles—normally expected in ceremonial bowls.  On the exterior, however, are animal figures—all of which have heart line arrows.  Animals on ceremonial bowls generally are associated with ceremonies of hunting clans, so perhaps this was a hunting clan bowl used in a manner to increase the probability of a good hunting season.

The note provided with the bowl states that it was used in a Zuni Rain Dance.  That is the story that was told by the Zuni seller to the dealer who purchased it.  The Rain Dance is a dance performed in the spring season.  The seller was a granddaughter of the previous Zuni owner who had passed away.  The bowl was discovered in his house at a later date.

There is evidence of a liquid having been in the bowl for a considerable period.  The dark brown residue is not consistent with the use of water, so perhaps another liquid was used, one with dark brown pigment coloration.

The interior and exterior of each terrace on the rim has been scored with a sharp instrument.  At first, it appeared that each of the terraces had been broken and repaired, but ultraviolet light examination does not reveal any repairs.  The reason the scored lines were inflicted is not known by us.

This terrace rim bowl is certainly of the style known to be used for ceremonial purposes, but it is not known if or how this one might have been used.  There is the possibility that it is a bowl made to resemble a ceremonial bowl and was intended expressly for sale, however, the apparent use makes that unlikely.

Condition: this Zuni Pueblo Terrace Rim Jar with Animal Figures is in good condition with evident use

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from California who purchased it from a merchant in Gallup, New Mexico, who had purchased it from the granddaughter of the Zuni man who had owned it.

Recommended Reading: The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo by Harlow and Lanmon