Santa Clara Pueblo

Victor & Naomi Eckleberry are full blooded Native Americans born into the Santa Clara Pueblo. Victor was born in 1958 and Naomi was born in 1961. They were inspired spiritually to carry on the family tradition of pottery making. They have been making pottery since 1985.

They specialize in the traditional handmade black Santa Clara pottery. The designs they use on the black pottery have special meaning to them. The top of the pot represents the sky, the middle represents the serpent, (the eye represents the moon),and the bottom of the pot represents water or land. Everything etched on pottery coincides with Father Sky and Mother Earth.

Some of the designs they use include the kiva step, which are the mile stones in life, the feather, which represents the birds, and the water wave, which represents water. They hand coil a wide variety of shapes. Naomi hand coils and designs the shapes, while Victor enjoys carving the pottery. Victor is a moon watcher and most of his inspiration comes from the elements on the earth.

They dig up the clay from a sacred ground within the Santa Clara Pueblo, then let it dry for 30 days, and finally mix it with volcanic ash from around the hills that surround their home. They mix the clay with their feet for at least 1 1/2 hours, then they will begin coiling, shaping, etching, and then they fire the pottery the traditional way, outdoors.

They sign their pottery as: Victor & Naomi Eckleberry, date, followed by Santa Clara Pueblo.

They are related to Margaret Tafoya.

Awards:
-Picuris Pueblo Arts & Crafts Show 2nd place
-Picuris Pueblo Arts & Crafts Show 1st Place 1999

Publications:
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies