Hemlock, Phyllis and Marlin

Marlin Hemlock is a Seneca Indian, a member of the Iroquois Confederacy from upstate New York. Phyllis Tafoya is an adopted daughter of Mida Tafoya of Santa Clara Pueblo. Among her siblings are Lincoln Tafoya and Matthew Tafoya. When Marlin married Phyllis, he moved to her home at Santa Clara and learned how to make Santa Clara-style pottery from her and her mother.

The Seneca were able to maintain their pottery tradition into modern times. They decorated their pots by carving designs in wooden paddles, then impressing the paddles into the surfaces of their pots. They also often made square necks on round pots. The Eastern Cherokee have maintained a similar tradition. But Santa Clara-style pottery is a bit different.

Together, Phyllis and Marlin make red and black jars, bowls and wedding vases. Some they carve, some they do sgraffito designs on and some they inset with turquoise. Their favorite designs seem to be clouds, bears and the avanyu. However, they seem to have entered one of the larger venues back in 1995 (the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show) and haven’t entered another since.