Tarkington leaned forward, pointed at an odd-looking pot on a desk by the wall. "See that image of the snake on that ceramic there? That's a Supai pot. But why is that snake pink? It's a rattler, and they're not that color. Well, I guess they are in one deep part of the Grand Canyon. There's a very rare and officially endangered species down there in Havasupai territory, and they have a great story in their mythology about how it came to be pink. And that's going to make that pot a lot more valuable to the fellow who collects it."
He stared at Leaphorn, looking for some sign of agreement.
"I know that's true," Leaphorn said. "But I'm not sure I understand why."
"Because the collector gets the story along with the pot. People say why is that snake pink. He explains. That makes him an authority." Tarkington laughed. "You Navajos don't practice that one-upmanship game like we do. You fellows who stay in that harmony philosophy."
Tony Hillerman, The Shape Shifter. 2006. p.35, 36
No comments:
Post a Comment