Spring Whimsy
Spring is here! What a perfect time to celebrate life, growth, and renewal. Native Americans have long given thanks for the gifts of Nature by honoring them through imagery, including corn motifs, squash blossoms, water, animals, and insects. And the Spring equinox is a powerful and energetic time of year that brightens our lives.
Shop the bright and lifelike Native designs in our collection that celebrate the gifts, growth, energy, and movement of Nature.
Native American and Pueblo people of the Southwest have been making clay pottery figures since ancient times. Their creation was discouraged by Christian missionaries and the form was not widely practiced in the 16th–19th centuries. Figurative pottery was revived in the 20th century and clay figurines have since become one of the most popular and widely collected Native American art forms. Storytellers are a type of clay figure that is unique to the Southwest. They were developed by Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo in 1963, and traditionally depict a male elder telling stories to children, all with open mouths. Cordero was inspired by the traditional “Singing Mother” figure often represented in clay, and by her grandfather, a legendary Cochiti storyteller. In Pueblo culture, stories are passed down orally from generation to generation, and the storyteller figure represents the importance of the storytelling tradition. Today, Native artists across the Southwest create storytellers, sometimes depicting the elder and children as clowns, drummers, acrobats, cowboys, or animals, and handcrafted figurative pottery continues to be one of the most exciting, colorful, and successful pottery forms.
Stella Teller Corn Maiden Storyteller
This piece, handcrafted by Isleta Pueblo artist Stella Teller, this finely detailed, contemporary storyteller figurine depicts a stylized Corn Maiden figure.
The Corn Maiden is an important figure in Pueblo culture who brings blessings and good harvests to the people. This sculptural Corn Maiden figurine will bring beauty and inspiration to your Native American art collection.
The most celebrated and recognized art form of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico is pottery. Pueblo pottery is known around the world for its remarkable beauty and craftsmanship. It has been made in much the same way for over a thousand years, with every step of creation completed by hand. Pueblo potters do not use a wheel but construct pots using the traditional horizontal coil method or freely forming the shape. After the pot is formed, the artist polishes the piece with a natural polishing stone, such as a river stone, then paints it with a vegetal, mineral, or commercial slip. Finally, the pot is fired in an outdoor fire or kiln using manure or wood as fuel. Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Jemez, and Acoma Pueblos have distinctive pottery styles that are especially prized by collectors, but accomplished potters are working in all Pueblos. Today, Pueblo pottery is an exciting and dynamic form, with many artists pairing traditional techniques with innovative and stylized designs. Those potters who continue to create pots using traditional methods possess an extraordinary level of skill, and their pots are highly valuable works of fine art that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Rose Pacheco Hummingbird Wedding Vase
This traditional polychrome wedding vase was hand-coiled and painted by Santo Domingo Pueblo artist Rose Pacheco. The niece of famed artist Robert Tenorio, who taught her pottery-making, this vase blends traditional design work with a contemporary flair. With a beautiful hummingbird in flight on one side and a butterfly upon the other, this vase represents pollination and the continuation of life. A meaningful symbol for a new couple or to celebrate an anniversary
Known around the world for their brilliance as silversmiths, Native American artists of the Southwest make jewelry that is collected and admired for its superior craftsmanship, technical sophistication, detail, and beauty. Navajo and Zuni artists were the first to learn the art and develop their own distinctive silver jewelry styles, but today talented artists are working in an impressive range of styles in every Pueblo and tribe of the Southwest.
Anderson Koinva Corn Plant Overlay Bracelet
This highly detailed sterling silver cuff bracelet is a remarkable example of the silver overlay technique developed by Hopi silversmiths. Handcrafted by Hopi artist Anderson Koinva, this sophisticated bracelet features cutout corn plant designs. For the Hopi culture, corn is a significant crop, that is central to their culture, religion, and way of life.
The polished top layer of sterling silver contrasts beautifully with the oxidized silver beneath, adding depth and dimension. Versatile and lasting, this masterful cuff bracelet honors the traditions and culture of the Hopi people.
Baskets are one of the oldest known forms of Native American art and, today, one of the most valuable and widely collected. For centuries, Native American cultures have made baskets in a wide variety of forms and styles and used them for carrying, serving, storage and more. In addition to their utilitarian value, baskets were also appreciated for their incredible beauty, and skill in basket-making was a source of pride for Native communities. In the Southwest, baskets were often made from sumac, willow, or yucca in both coiled and woven styles. The Hopi, Apache, Tohono O’Odham and Navajo are most known for their basketry, and today many skilled artists from these cultures create exquisite traditional baskets using all-natural plant fibers and methods passed down from their ancestors. Basketry remains a diverse Native American art form as artists create pieces with a variety of contemporary and traditional designs, carrying on an important legacy in their timeless works of art.
Beatrice Dawahoya Coiled Plaque Basket
Handcrafted by Beatrice Dawahoya, this exquisite basket is a fine example of a celebrated art that has been practiced by generations of Hopi women. In Hopi culture, baskets are used for both ceremonial and everyday functions and are made in much the same way today as they were centuries ago. There are three techniques for making Hopi baskets: wicker, plaiting and coiling. This coiled plaque basket is made from sumac and rabbit brush, where plant fibers are wrapped around a central stem of bundled plant fiber. Betty has created complex geometric patterns and beautiful designs in yellow, red, and black hues that come from both natural and synthetic dyes. A revered art form passed down through generations, baskets continue to play an important cultural role in Hopi life.
In Pueblo culture, a drumbeat represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth and drum music accompanies ceremonies and dances. Traditional Pueblo drums are created from trees native to northern New Mexico, including aspen, cottonwood, and pine. First, the log is stripped of bark, then the artist hollows out the log and dries it for up to half a year. Historically, drumheads were made from elk, buffalo, or deer hides, but contemporary Pueblo artists also use cowhide. After being carefully cleaned and scraped by hand, the animal hides are soaked, then stretched to fit the drum’s frame and secured with rawhide laces. Traditional Pueblo drums are works of great precision and skill, representing an ancient art that has been passed down for generations. Taos and Cochiti Pueblos are most known for making drums, though there are traditional drum-makers from other northern Pueblos as well.
Everette Fragua Log Drum
This exquisitely crafted traditional two-sided drum was created by drum-maker Everett Fragua of Jemez Pueblo.
In Pueblo culture, drums represent the heartbeat of Mother Earth and are considered to be an instrument of healing with their rhythmic beat. Everett created this drum using hide that has been prepared, cured, and stretched by hand over a cottonwood base, this drum is both a usable instrument with a rich sound and a beautiful collectible for champions of Native American art.
Jereme Delgarito Overlay Horse Bracelet
Handcrafted by Navajo silversmith Jereme Delgarito, this stunning sterling silver overlay bracelet evokes the rich legacy of Native American silversmithing and features horses within the landscape of the Southwest. Created through the overlay technique, Jereme is using a sophisticated silversmithing technique that creates highly detailed, dimensional jewelry pieces. The horses are framed by overlay silver along the top and bottom to give this piece a balanced look. The perfect addition to any collection.
EXPLORE MORE IN THE SPRING WHIMSY COLLECTION
At Indian Pueblo Store, we guarantee that your purchase is an original and authentic work handcrafted by Native American artists as defined by the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. We ask our artists to complete an extensive certification process, providing a CIB (Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood) card and other documentation of their Native American heritage. Our team of experts carefully inspects every product to guarantee it is handcrafted using traditional, sustainable processes, and natural materials of only the highest quality. We record the place and date of each purchase, and pride ourselves in paying a fair price that allows artists to make a living practicing their craft. Every work of handcrafted art comes with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by an artist or buyer.
At a time when many commercially made products are being sold as handcrafted Native American art, our in-depth purchase process allows us to guarantee the authenticity of every unique piece of fine art we offer. For more than 45 years, we have made it a priority to visit artists in their studio or home to purchase their latest handcrafted pieces and learn about their work. We have developed lasting relationships with artists, as well as dealers and collectors, and we take pride in being a trusted destination for fine Native American art.