Leonidas Tapia
Encyclopedia
Leonidas Tapia was a Native American
potter from Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
, United States
. She was the wife of Jose Blas Tapia and mother of Mary Trujillo (born 1937) and Tom Tapia (b. 1946). Leonidas made traditional San Juan polychrome redware bowls, jars and wedding vases. She also made micaceous pottery.
Some of the designs she used on her pottery include the water serpent, kiva
steps and clouds. Leonidas participated in the Santa Fe Indian Market
from 1970-1976.
Leonida’s son, Tom Tapia, learned to make pottery by working with his mother. He works in the sgraffito
style and has won numerous awards for his pottery. He also makes pottery with his wife Sue Tapia. Leonida’s daughter, Mary Trujillo, married Helen Cordero
’s son, Leonard, from Cochiti Pueblo. She learned to make storyteller figures from her mother-in-law Helen who was the first and most famous maker of Cochiti storytellers and has won numerous awards.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
potter from Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
Ohkay Owingeh is a pueblo and census designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. Its elevation is and it is located at . One of its boundaries is contiguous with Española, about north of Santa Fe....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was the wife of Jose Blas Tapia and mother of Mary Trujillo (born 1937) and Tom Tapia (b. 1946). Leonidas made traditional San Juan polychrome redware bowls, jars and wedding vases. She also made micaceous pottery.
Some of the designs she used on her pottery include the water serpent, kiva
Kiva
A kiva is a room used by modern Puebloans for religious rituals, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, kivas are square-walled and underground, and are used for spiritual ceremonies....
steps and clouds. Leonidas participated in the Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA over two days on the weekend after the third Thursday in August and draws an estimated 100,000 people to the city from around the world. The Market was first held in 1922 as the Indian Fair and was sponsored by the...
from 1970-1976.
Leonida’s son, Tom Tapia, learned to make pottery by working with his mother. He works in the sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
style and has won numerous awards for his pottery. He also makes pottery with his wife Sue Tapia. Leonida’s daughter, Mary Trujillo, married Helen Cordero
Helen Cordero
Helen Cordero was a Cochiti Pueblo potter from Cochiti, New Mexico. She was renowned for her storyteller dolls, a genre she invented. In 1986 she was made a National Heritage Fellow.-External links:*...
’s son, Leonard, from Cochiti Pueblo. She learned to make storyteller figures from her mother-in-law Helen who was the first and most famous maker of Cochiti storytellers and has won numerous awards.
Reference and Further Readings
- Barry, John - American Indian Pottery. 1984.
- Schaaf, Gregory - Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies. 2000.
- Trimble, Stephen - Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery. 1987.