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c.1890-1920
7.75" x 10.25"
Rain and Bird Motif; Excellent Condition
The Rain Bird motif (also called Rainbird or kya-shima wot’tsa’nah in Zuni) is one of the most distinctive and enduring designs in Zuni (A:shiwi) Pueblo pottery, especially on water jars (ollas), bowls, and storage vessels. It's a curvilinear, stylized bird form that has been a hallmark of Zuni polychrome pottery (using black, red, and white/cream pigments on clay) since at least the late 19th century, with roots in earlier ancestral patterns.
The Rain Bird symbolizes rain, fertility, renewal, and abundance—essential in the arid Southwest where water is sacred and tied to survival, agriculture, and spiritual well-being.It represents incoming rain clouds rolling into the valley (as described by contemporary Zuni potter Milford Nahohai), with the bird's form evoking clouds curling at the edges, feathers as rain streaks or lightning, and the overall motion as precipitation bringing life to the land.In Zuni cosmology, birds (especially those associated with water or sky) act as messengers or bringers of rain; the motif serves as a visual prayer for moisture to nourish crops, animals, and people.
Condition:
Very Good
Tribe:
Zuni
Year Range:
1875 - 1900
Region:
Southwest
Dimensions:
7.75 in10.25 in
Category:
Pottery - Historic
