Storyteller

Leonard Tsosie (Corn Hill), Jemez Pueblo / American, born 1941
Jemez Pueblo (Walatowa)
Southwest

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about 2006

Terracotta

Overall: 6 13/16 × 3 11/16 × 5 5/16 in. (17.3 × 9.3 × 13.5 cm)

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Mary C. Rohr, in memory of Robert J. Rohr, III

2017.30.7

Geography

Place Made: Jemez Pueblo, United States, North America

Period

21st century

Object Name

Pottery

Research Area

Native American

Native American: Southwest

Not on view

Label

Her mouth open in a wide O, a mother shares a story with her children, who are sitting within her embrace. They gaze out joyfully, as though imagining the narrative unfolding in front of them and inviting the viewer to do the same. What do you hear from this storyteller?

This sculpture speaks to the importance of language and intergenerational oral traditions—especially passed on by women—in Tsosie’s community, values shared by Fiona Omeenyo’s painting Strong Culture, displayed nearby. The acts of storytelling and listening together share Indigenous epistemologies and languages, engage in place-making, and strengthen communities.

From the 2024 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 121, Across Oceans: Indigenous Solidarity throughout Pasifika and Beyond, curated by Kaitlyn Anderson '24, Conroy Intern

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 121, Across Oceans: Indigenous Solidarity throughout Pasifika and Beyond, Kaitlyn Anderson '24, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 2 – December 21, 2024.

Provenance

Mary C. Rohr, Stowe, Vermont; given to present collection, 2017.

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