Santa Clara Pueblo Pot by Linda Tafoya Oyenque Sanchez

c. 1988

1.75" H x 2.25" D

Small Blackware Pottery of a Matte Turtle with a Polished Wavy Shell Design

From a Private Colorado Collection

Excellent Condition

Linda Tafoya-Oyenque, also known as Linda Tafoya-Sanchez, a renowned Santa Clara Pueblo potter. Linda Tafoya-Sanchez, born in 1962, is a distinguished potter from Santa Clara Pueblo, known for her intricately carved blackware and redware pottery. She is the granddaughter of the legendary potter Margaret Tafoya and the daughter of Lee and Betty Tafoya, from whom she learned the art of Pueblo pottery starting at age 12. Her father taught her to form vessels and carve designs, while her mother guided her in sanding and polishing, and her father’s firing techniques helped her achieve the deep black, high-shine finish characteristic of her work.

During her first marriage to Dennis Oyenque of Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo), she lived at San Juan Pueblo and signed her pottery as Linda Tafoya-Oyenque, incorporating traditional San Juan imagery. After her divorce, she returned to Santa Clara Pueblo, remarried, and began signing her work as Linda Tafoya-Sanchez. Her pottery often features micaceous clay slips, polished and matte finishes, and designs such as avanyu (water serpent), feathers, hummingbirds, and geometric patterns.

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Santa Clara Pueblo (Tewa: Kha'po) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census, although, approximately 3,800 reside on the reservation. Santa Clara Pueblo was established about 1550.

The pueblo is a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos, and the people are from the Tewa ethnic group of Native Americans who speak the Tewa language. The pueblo is on the Rio Grande, between Ohkay Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo) to the north and San Ildefonso Pueblo to the south. Santa Clara Pueblo is famous for producing hand-crafted pottery, specifically blackware and redware with deep engravings. The pueblo is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.