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Carving is primarily used for decorating pots by potters from Santa Clara Pueblo, although it has also been seen on pottery from Acoma, San Ildefonso, Mata Ortiz, Laguna and Hopi. Some contemporary pottery also uses "light carving" as a term to distinguish between the deep carving used on thick body pieces and the sgraffito (etching, scratching) often used on thinner body pieces.
Margaret Tafoya, the pottery matriarch of Santa Clara, is most famous for her carved pieces but many of her descendants have carried on in that tradition and become award-winning potters in their own right.