Native American Art from Clay

Storyteller dolls are among the most fascinating of art pieces in the southwest.

In Native American tradition, there is always one person, sometimes a grandfather, who serves as a storyteller, to pass on information to the children. Storyteller dolls, made from clay of the earth, depict such a person. They are almost always shown with their mouths open. Tiny "children" are shown sitting on the storyteller's lap, back, arms, legs, and sometimes head!


This Indian grandfather is one of the favorites in my storyteller collection.


See the tiny little kid hiding in Grandfather's headdress?





This is a different style of storyteller doll but still very unique.




























Check out the quarter to the left of this storyteller doll to get an idea of how small these are.










A Native American woman named Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico is said to be the artist who made the first contemporary storyteller doll. It was fashioned in honor of her own grandfather, who passed on stories to his own people.

When we lived in Arizona, every time I saw an affordable storyteller doll, I delighted in buying it. It's one of the most unique collections to own!

Here is one of the female storyteller dolls. See all the little children clinging to her?




This storyteller doll has so many kids climbing on him that's it's hard to count them. I'm going to show you several angles of this doll.


























If anyone would like to learn more about storyteller dolls, there is a book titled Pueblo Storyteller: Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition. It can be ordered at Barnes and Noble.

What is your opinion of this storyteller doll collection?