Shije, Eusebia

Eusebia Toribio Shije was born into Zia Pueblo in the early 1930s. She and her sister, Teresita Galvan, probably learned how to make pottery through watching and working with their mother and grandmother as they grew up.

Eusebia earned the Richard M. Howard Award for Best Traditional Zia Pottery at the Santa Fe Indian Market in two consecutive years: 1980 and 1981. Then she earned the Indian Arts Fund Award for Overall Excellence in 1984. After that she continued earning First, Second, and Third Place ribbons for a number of years at the Santa Fe Indian Market.

Eusebia generally made traditional Zia polychrome jars and bowls and decorated them with various designs of the Zia roadrunner, yucca flower, rainbow and cloud formations. She’s retired now and makes pots no more.