Cochiti Pueblo Storyteller Pottery Doll By Margaret Quintana

ca. 1996

4.375" H x 3.375" L x 2.75" W

Hand Built from Clay of a Sitting Adult with One Child on Her Back Peeking Over Her Head and Two Small Children in Her Lap

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Very Good Condition

Margaret Quintana (born 1948, also known as Margaret Behan Quintana) is a Native American artist known for creating Pueblo Storyteller dolls (clay figurines). She is of Cheyenne heritage and married into Cochiti Pueblo; her work is associated with both Cochiti and Taos Pueblo traditions.

Storyteller dolls (or figures) are a modern form of Pueblo pottery that began in 1964 with Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo. The first one honored her grandfather, Santiago Quintana, a respected tribal storyteller. These figurines typically show a seated adult (often with an open mouth, as if speaking or singing) surrounded by children climbing on their lap, arms, shoulders, or legs—symbolizing the passing of stories, traditions, and knowledge across generations. The style spread to other Pueblos, with variations in clay type, size, number of children, and details.