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.
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.
NATIVE
AMERICAN RHYMES 
