Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Label, Identification |
Catalog Number |
2020-02-028B |
Description |
White paper explaining the history behind the artwork on the first day cover (2020-02-028A) on one side and sources for this history on the other. The text reads: "The Zuni Indian tribe in Arizona and New Mexico have been able to maintain and pass on their tribal traditions from one generation to the next. Their legends and myths are incorporated into the designs of belts and pottery. A typical design in Zuni pottery uses the deer enclosed in a panel of leaf-like form of free scrolls, called the "deer's house." 'Painted with his heart showing' is symbolic as is the set of never-closing parallel lines on the upper portion of the jar reflecting the Indian's belief that his pottery has life. By providing a break in the lines, the soul of the vessel is not imprisoned, ensuring long life for the maker of the jar as well. The potter's workbench was the ground, therefore the pottery was not perfectly symmetrical. The designs were painted with brushes made from Yucca leaves frayed at the ends. The colors were of powdered earth materials. Firing took place in dome-covered pits with the heat reaching as high as 1500 degrees. People near the firing were required to speak in whispers as loud talk would cause the spirits in the pots to break them. The Zuni Indian traditions and designs represented a rich storehouse of knowledge for research and study. .......Compiled by: Dolly LaManna." Sources on the other side are listed: A Zuni Atlas, T.J. Ferguson & E.R. Hart, 1985, University of Oklahoma Press. Indians, Revised Edition, E. Tunis, 1979, T.Y. Crowell. Indian Art of The Americas, L.H. Appleton, 1950, C. Scribner's Sons. |
Date |
1989/10/12 |
Creator |
LaManna, Dolly |
Search Terms |
Key Marco cat Key Marco Calusa |
Material |
Paper |