Navajo Folk Art Evolves

By Rebekah Powers | August 2024

The whimsical folk art of Diné potter Elizabeth Manygoats is now available at Chimayo Trading. Her charming ceramic animals and “lifestyle pots” featuring decorative elements around a traditional form, exemplify the line she walks between sharing the Navajo lifestyle and embellishing those traditions.

Elizabeth is one of ten children of Betty Manygoats, who is credited with first adding the sculpted Horned Toad to her pottery. Betty taught her nine daughters and one son to build pottery in the same way they have been made for over a hundred years, and then to add an element of whimsy. In her work, Elizabeth uses natural clay gathered from Black Mesa and coils her hand-built pottery in the old way. She also coats the surfaces using the Navajo technique of applying warm piñon pitch slip inside and out after the firing.

Elizabeth Manygoats continues the theme of horned toads that made her mother famous, but you are in for a surprise as you turn one of Elizabeth’s pots in your hand. You might see a woman weaving on a loom, or a little black puppy, or some other significant scene from Navajo life, in miniature. Almost narrative, the pieces are stories from the past told in a new and ever evolving way.

Elizabeth Manygoats continues the theme of horned toads that made her mother famous, but you are in for a surprise as you turn one of Elizabeth’s pots in your hand. You might see a woman weaving on a loom, or a little black puppy, or some other significant scene from Navajo life, in miniature. Almost narrative, the pieces are stories from the past told in a new and ever evolving way.

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We’re interested in locating relevant collections and original New Mexico artwork for purchase. We buy historic and contemporary relevant paintings, pottery, jewelry, textiles, weavings and more.

Contact us directly to discuss and evaluate your collection. If you’re an artist, contact us about the possibility of selling your art on consignment or direct wholesale purchase.

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