Santa Clara Pueblo Pottery Turtle By Phyllis Tafoya

Late 20th Century

.875" H x 2.125" L x 1.75" W

Hand Coiled from a Local Clay with a Glossy Shell and Matte Finish Body

From a Private Colorado Collection

Excellent Condition

Santa Clara Pueblo pottery turtle figurines are beautiful examples of traditional Native American ceramic art from Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico. The Tafoya family is one of the most renowned lineages in Pueblo pottery, known for their masterful blackware (black-on-black) and redware pieces, often featuring deep carving (sgraffito), highly polished surfaces, and motifs like the avanyu (water serpent). Phyllis Tafoya (born March 1955) is a respected potter from this family.

She is the daughter of Mida Tafoya (a prominent potter who learned from her mother, Christina Naranjo) and granddaughter of Christina Naranjo. Phyllis is part of a large extended family of potters, including siblings like Sherry Tafoya and others who continue the tradition. She often collaborates with her husband Marlin Hemlock (sometimes signing as Phyllis Tafoya Hemlock), and they specialize in deeply carved blackware vases, jars, and other forms—typically featuring avanyu designs. While her documented works focus more on carved vessels rather than turtle figurines specifically, turtle motifs are popular in Santa Clara pottery overall, symbolizing longevity, protection, and connection to water/earth in Pueblo traditions.