Friday, June 1, 2007

my acoma turtle

here's another show & tell friday. if you'd like to see other blogger's show & tells, follow this link.




this is a little turtle figurine i purchased over 20 years ago. i bought it in acoma, new mexico, on a trip don and i took from southern california to oklahoma. we went out to visit my mom and step-dad and stopped by the acoma indian reservation. it was a fascinating place as the reservation is on top of a mesa. i remember driving in a rickety bus along a dirt road that winded around the mesa to the very top. we were then given a walking tour. you couldn't walk around on your own.

once up there, one was transported to a whole different world. the people there live with little (or no) comforts. no electricity, no running water, no plumbing. they live as their ancestors did. a lot of the indians, at some point, moved down off the pueblo and live nearby. another thing i remember is that no photography or video taping was allowed. they were very strict about it. i would have loved to have taken pictures while up there.

one of the few ways the tribe people makes money is through their pottery and art. their paintings are very distinctive, as you can see on the back of this turtle. they use a lot of geometric designs. we also bought a beautiful platter for don's mom.

this little guy reminds me of the time we spent on top of the mesa as well as the road trip and time we spent in oklahoma. great memories.

if you would like to know more about the acoma pueblo and it's people, you can click on the link of the day.

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link of the day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoma_Pueblo

7 comments:

Susan said...

I am very familiar with Acoma pottery. It can be quite expensive and sold in Museumn shops. Your piece is very nice.
Susan

Lyndy said...

What a neat story. I would love to visit there some day.

Have a blessed weekend.

Lyndy

Kelli said...

What a wonderful treasure from your trip! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Kelli

Peculiar Blogs said...

cute little guy. I have a little bowl from there! Thanks for sharing.

Myrna said...

Beautiful pottery and interesting story! One thing I like about Show and Tell is the variety of things that are shared. This is one of the most unusual.

Unknown said...

So cute and charming, he is! I would love to visit the southwest again. I passed through a time or two in my childhood but I want to go as a tourist!!

Henny Penny said...

Fascinating! The pattern on its head and body is very striking. Thanks for sharing him with us!