Tonita Pena (Tonita Vigil), San Ildefonso Peublo (1895-1949) -Native American Indian Tribes - Over 2,000 articles on native american indians, their culture & traditions.

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Videos of the Week

Shoshone-Bannock History in Idaho
PART I OF II: 2008's historic Idaho Democratic Convention, held in Boise, ID, June 12-14, invited Idaho Native American Tribal members from the Shoshone-Bannock/Fort Hall, Shoshone-Paiute/Duck Valley, Nez Perce, and Coeur D'Alene tribal communities to take an active part in the convention activities. On June 12th, the Idaho AFL-CIO hosted a Democratic picnic for convention goers. Mr. Ted Howard, Cultural Resource Director, Duck Valley, spoke to picnic participants about the Shoshone-Paiute-Bannock history in the Boise Valley area. 9:49 minutes.

Part II-Grand Entry, Flag Ceremony and Recessional
All convention tribal members participated in the grand entry at the beginning of the June 13th Idaho Democratic Convention gathering followed by a flag ceremony and presentation by Mr. Lee Juan Tyler, Council Member, Shoshone-Bannock/Fort Hall community. Fort Hall and Duck Valley singers and drummers played songs for the grand entry, flag ceremony and recessional.
9:59 minutes

Native American Prophecy
Narrated by the late Floyd RedCrow Westerman 6:36 minutes

7 Generations
Elder Orin Lyons talks about preparing for the next 7 generations. 8:43 minutes

TNB->Pueblo Indians: Tonita Pena (Tonita Vigil), San Ildefonso Peublo (1895-1949)

Posted on Monday, April 18 @ 01:32:37 CDT

Quah Ah (White Coral Beads) was the first Pueblo woman artist to throw off the traditional restrictions that were usually imposed upon women tin Pueblo culture, and paint just as freely as her esthetic sensitivity directed. She was born Tonita Vigil, at San Ildefonso Peublo, New Mexico on June 13, 1895, the daughter of Ascension Vigil and Natividad Pena. Following the death of her mother, she was brought up by her aunt, Martina Vigil, of Cochiti, who saw to her education at the San Ildefonso Pueblo and then at St. Catherine's in Santa Fe. Her early life was much the same as any Pueblo child.

Stumble It!

At the age of 14 she married Juan Rosario Chavez of Cochiti. He died two years later in 1911 and she married Felipe Herrera. Of her three children, one, Joe Hilario Herrera (See Ru) became one of the leading figures in Pueblo art; still living, he has become increasingly active in Indian political affairs, and no longer paints actively.

Largely due to the fact that many of her relatives were artists in their own right, Tonita began painting at a very early age, and by 21 was selling and exhibiting her work throughout the Southwest. She had little formal training, but was encouraged and somewhat guided by Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett and Dr. Kenneth M. Chapman, both of who recognized her talent, and were attracted by the fact that she was the only female painter at the time to advance beyond relatively casual experimentation.

Her own determination to succeed, combined with her very remarkable talent, enabled her to make a substantial contribution to the world of Indian art. She taught at the Santa Fe Indian School and at Albuquerque Indian School, where she inspired her students to produce fine works, yet not fall into the practice of copying the teacher. She was so highly regarded that she was chosen among those artists who were commissioned to make precise copies of the newly excavated murals at Pajarito for preservation, prior to their restoration.

At the introductory Exposition of American Indian Tribal Arts in 1931, her painting Spring Dances was labeled "the best in the show." Her works were reproduced in many publications and are in many museum and private collections throughout the world. She was also active in mural painting, producing many mural which grace buildings in Arizona and New Mexico.

She later married Epitacio Arquero, who was elected Governor of Cochiti Pueblo; by him she had three children. At her death in September 1949, she had probably advanced the cause of Pueblo art more than any other female artist, and was justifiably "the Grand Old Lady of Pueblo Art, as Oscar Jacobson so aptly lauded her.