A perfect gift for the couple who appreciates cultural significance and handmade art!
It has been a long time since we have been able to offer traditional Pueblo wedding vases. Unfortunately, they represent a small percentage of the pottery made in the Pueblos today. They are challenging to make and difficult to make well.
Pueblo pottery is made using the coil method, rolling (sort of like you may have rolled out Play-Dough or Silly Putty) the clay into long snake-like strips and curling these strips around to form the shape of the pot. That is difficult enough to do if you are making an open-top pot where your fingers have access to the inside of the bowl as you shape it, but the wedding vase is formed more like a round bowl with two spouts coming from the top that are joined together with a bridge of clay.
Of course, before undertaking all this work, the potter must gather and clean the clay, which, if not done perfectly, can result in the pot cracking during traditional firing.
The design of the pot is symbolic, and in a traditional Pueblo wedding, it is an integral part of the ceremony. The pot is filled with a special nectar, or a substance chosen by the couple. The groom then drinks from one spout and the bride from the other, in a symbolic gesture of commitment and the joining of their families.
The handle or bridge that joins the spouts and the reservoir at the base represents a shared spiritual connection and the united life they are entering together. The vase is then kept in the home as a symbol of their commitment to each other. For non-Native people, the wedding vase can be a symbolic gift from an ancient culture, celebrating their marriage.
Unfortunately, few potters today make these vases, but we are fortunate to have the opportunity to represent the work of Vickie Martinez (b. 1967) from Santa Clara Pueblo. She learned the fine art of making pottery from her mother, Barbara Martinez, and her grandmother, Flora Naranjo. When she married Joey Chavarria, she gained two more teachers, Teresita Naranjo and Stella Chavarria, both outstanding potters. We also have a beautiful wedding vase by one of her teachers, Teresita Naranjo.
If you have a special wedding coming up, this is your chance to gift the newlyweds something rare and culturally significant, handcrafted by an outstanding Pueblo potter.
AN IMPORTANT WORD OF WARNING! DO NOT PUT WATER IN THE VASE AS THESE POTS ARE FIRED OUTSIDE UNDER OPEN FLAMES AND DO NOT HAVE A GLAZE ON THEM SO THEY DO NOT REACH A TEMPERATURE THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO HOLD WATER WITHOUT ABSORBING IT. THEY SHOULD BE TREATED AS VALUABLE NATIVE ART!
