Mida Tafoya, b. 1931
“I love working with clay Mother Earth—she’s been good to me. To me, pottery making means a lot. Mother Earth never let me down. Whatever I make, wedding vases, bowls, all come out good. I enjoy working with you [referring to unfinished pottery on the table], and people will be happy to have the pots in their homes.
“I enjoy doing shows. I enjoy meeting people and talking about the pottery I let them touch the clay so they can feel how it is. It’s been around thirty years of work, and I learned from Christina Naranjo. Me and her used to work together. She showed me how to make pottery talk with Mother Earth and be good to her—not to be mad—talk to her, how to mold the clay, how to make big ones and take care of myself and the clay.
“My son Robert and his girlfriend do painted red pottery and he does a lot of small carved ones which he learned from me. My son Mike does the carving like me. Him and his wife work together. She does the polishing, she’s from San Ildefonso. He also learned from me. Donna does pottery too, and she works for Pojoaque Pueblo but still helps me with pottery. She does some on her own, but works mostly with me.
[Grandson Robert Maurice (Moe) Tafoya (b. 1984), son of daughter Cookie, said while I was there: “Grandma, can I make a pottery?”]