Like artifact numbers 29, 73 and some other bowls in this collection, the exterior of this bowl is painted with the lotemla wohanapa (all different kinds of feathers hang down) motif. This band constitutes a prayer that all kinds of clouds may gather together to make a cloudy day and produce rain. A spirit break frames the top and bottom of this exterior band.
And like number 73, the interior of this bowl has a red wetolianne (zigzag) band that represents either alialaye (waves) or citola (the water snake), both of which are water symbols that are reinforced by the large, elaborate rain bird motif painted below the horizontal spirit break. The outer portion of the rain bird on this artifact (number 30) is embellished by four red motifs that are a variant of the netsikâ lacow’iyulipa (crooks, or drumsticks, with feathers joined together, symbols of a prayer for beautiful music) on number 76.
John Wesley Powell Collection of Pueblo Pottery (Illinois Wesleyan University)
