Native American Acoma Hand-Built and Hand-Painted Wedding Vase

The Wedding Vase is an ancient vessel still used in traditional Pueblo wedding ceremonies. One spout of the vessel represents the husband and the other the wife. The looped handle represents the unity achieved with marriage. The space created within the loop represents the circle of life. In the traditional ceremony, the couple drink nectar (prepared by the medicine man) from the spouts to represent the blending of their lives. The pot is a reflection of the ancient rite. Judy Lewis, from Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, hand-built and hand-painted this beautiful wedding vase with the twisted handle, a rabbit on one side and a dragonfly on the other. Rabbit represents gentleness, charm, and the importance of family. For many Native Americans, rabbit is the special guardian of pregnant women bringing safe childbirth and a long life for the children. The dragonfly represents summertime, beauty and rain.