Large Choctaw Pottery Bear By Randy Chitto

Late 20th Century

7.75" H x 10.25" L x 6.75" W

Hand Crafted Bear with Four Fish in a Carved Wood Basket with Fishing Spear and Red Felt Ribbon

From a Private Colorado Collection

In Very Good Condition

Randy (Randall) Chitto (Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, b. 1962) is a Santa Fe-based clay artist known for hand-built, cheerful “storyteller” figures of turtles and bears that blend Choctaw cultural stories with Southwestern figurative pottery traditions. Bears in his work symbolize the male aspect of the tribe (strength and courage). They are typically coil-built from earthenware clay, refined with tools, wet-sanded or hand-burnished for a high sheen, and often twice-fired to achieve a deep black finish. Many include mixed-media details such as leather pouches (sometimes containing a tiny clay shard referencing Choctaw warrior traditions), drums, beaters, wood, feathers, cloth, spears, or other accessories.