A New Mexico Tradition.

Storytellers were originally created by Cochiti artist Helen Cordero in 1964. Originally she created female figures with children in their arms and called these dolls “Singing Mothers”. They quickly gained in popularity and many other artists in Cochiti started making them as well. Helen eventually made a male figure modeled after her Grandfather, Santiago Quintana with children clinging to his back and in his lap. The doll had an open mouth as he was telling stories to the children. Helen believed a male doll was more appropriate as males were traditionally the storytellers in her tribe. As time went on more and more artists started making their own storyteller dolls, each adapting their own unique style and implementing their own beliefs based on their heritage. Today the term storyteller refers to any human or animal figure that is covered with smaller children or animals. They have become one of the most sought after and collectable forms of clay art.

These dolls are my twist on the traditional storyteller dolls and represent me as an artist a mother and an animal lover. They are an infusion of my spanish and native culture that i grew up with here in New Mexico.