Roller, Toni – Jar with Bear Paws (1978)

Toni Roller is known for her classic shapes and exquisite stone polished pottery.  A daughter of Margaret Tafoya, Toni has developed her own distinctive style. The shape for this piece is the classic wedding vase.  The entire piece is fully polished, even the inside of the spouts! There are bear paws on each side.  Toni said of this design: “The story behind the bear paw, according to my grandmother, she said that our ancestors came from Puye, from the cliffs. One time when the people were living up there, there was a drought so bad they couldn’t grow anything. They were so worried. They wondered why the bear was well fed and not thin like they are. So they tracked the bear, and the bear led them to the Rio Grande. The reason we put the bear paw on the pots is to honor the bear that saved the people, the ancestors that came to Santa Clara from Puye. That’s why now most of the Indian people live along the Rio Grande. The bear saved all our ancestors.”  Toni Roller, Spoken Through Clay The wedding vase was traditionally fired a dark black.  It is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, restoration or repair.  It was made in 1991.  It is signed on the bottom in the clay.  It has a second-place ribbon from the 1991 Santa Fe Indian Market.