Double-lobed polychrome canteen
Tewa (San Ildefonso Pueblo), Native American
The two lobes on this ceremonial canteen may represent gourds, with the handle and spout as their stems. Sculpted stepped cloud formations on each side of the vessel’s opening signify the blessings of water. In every aspect of its complex form, the canteen mirrors the duality of the Tewa universe: earth and sky, plant life and rain, male and female. The painted imagery—clouds, mountains, birds, feathers, and plant forms—is a visual prayer for rain.
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