San Juan Pueblo Butterfly Seed Pottery Bowl By Roy Tsigowanu Tanner

Mid/Late 20th Century

3" H x 3.75" D

Hand Coiled Butterfly Motif Seed Bowl with Beautiful Etched Design

In Very Good Condition

Roy Tsigowanu Tanner is a Native American potter from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. He often collaborated with his mother, Stella Tanner (Kwa Povi, 1937–2006). They began working together around 1976. Stella prepared and polished the pottery forms, while Roy specialized in intricate sgraffito (incised/etched) designs. Their family tradition traces back through Luteria Atencio.

They produced high-quality miniature and small redware pieces, including seed pots, bowls, and jars, often featuring detailed motifs like butterflies, avanyu (water serpents), koshare (clowns), turtles, and other Pueblo-inspired elements. Their work earned awards at events like Santa Fe Indian Market and Eight Northern Indian Market in the late 1970s–early 1980s. They largely stopped collaborating around 1985, but Roy continued creating pieces into the 2000s.