Geronima Montoya, 93, and her 86-year-old sister, Ramoncita Sandoval, will be holding court this weekend under the portal near the entrance to the Palace of the Governors for the 88th annual Indian Market. The two sisters can't remember how long they've been selling their artwork at Indian Market, but they do remember that it was their mother, Crucita, who started the family tradition by selling her pottery under the Palace portal beginning in the early 1930s.

"My mother used to make all of her pottery by coiling the red and white clay by hand," Ramoncita said. "She would start early in the morning, mixing the clay, and then when the pot was ready, she would fire it outside with cow dung. Sometimes it would break in the fire and she would have to start all over again. Some people thought that her pottery was too expensive, but a lot of work went into creating it."

The two sisters, who were born at Ohkay Owingeh — formerly San Juan Pueblo — will be at Indian Market along with some of their children and grandchildren, selling paintings, embroidery and beadwork. Although the family has been busy for the last several months creating their products, Geronima has been frantically sketching her paintings in the past few weeks because, as she says, "I work better under pressure."

Geronima was born in 1915 to Pablo and Crucita Cruz; her Native American name in Tewa is P'Otsúnú, which means White Shell. She is the eldest of five daughters born to the couple, and she and Ramoncita are the last surviving siblings.

Geronima has vivid childhood memories. "Our father was a farmer, so we grew up eating fresh vegetables, plenty of red and green chile, corn and whole-wheat flour. My mother used to wash the wheat and then take it to be ground at a mill in Alcalde. Every morning, she would boil milk and make tortillas for us, and then we would help her husk the corn. When people ask me how I'm able to keep so active, I tell them it was because of our healthy diet from our youth," she said.

Geronima was married to Juan Montoya of Sandia Pueblo for more than 40 years; he died in 1983. They had three sons and two grandchildren. Geronima graduated from Santa Fe Indian School in 1935 and became an art teacher at the school, where she worked for 30 years. After retiring, she started an artists' co-op and school at her pueblo, which she ran for several years.

Ramoncita was born in 1923, and her name in Tewa is Poekwinsawin, which means Terrace Lake. She was married to Gilbert Sandoval, a Navajo from Torreon, N.M., for more than 60 years. The couple met as students at Santa Fe Indian School in 1942. They had two sons, six grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Sandoval died in 2001.

Ramoncita worked at Santa Fe Indian School as a counselor for 30 years before retiring in 1987. She and her family continue to stay active in the community. "My granddaughter, Carole, and my great-granddaughter, Erin, have both been Indian princesses for the Santa Fe Fiesta," she said.

In addition to participating in Indian Market, the sisters belong to the choir at San Juan Church at Ohkay Owingeh. "We sing for the Mass on Sundays, and for weddings and funerals," Ramoncita said. The summer is always a busy time, as they attend the different Catholic feast days at from Albuquerque to Northern New Mexico.

Both Geronima and Ramoncita have received lifetime achievement awards from SWAIA and Santa Fe's Museum of Indian Arts & Culture. Geronima also has received a lifetime achievement award from the Smithsonian Institution and was named a Santa Fe Living Treasure in 2004. In addition to those awards, in 1996, Geronima was also the subject of the book The Worlds of P'Otsúnú: Geronima Cruz Montoya of San Juan Pueblo, by Jeanne Shutes and Jill Mellick, published by UNM Press.

The recognition both sisters have received throughout the years is yet another tradition begun by their mother, whose Tewa name was Kaa Tsá Wá, which means Green Leaf. "Back in the 1930s, our mother won an award at a ceramics show in Chicago," Ramoncita recalled.

Ana Pacheco is the founder and publisher of La Herencia, a culture and history magazine. Contact her at www.herencia.com or 505-474-2800. Her weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Tuesday.