Pueblo pottery



Every Pueblo has its unique style: Black on black, micaceous, redware, incised, fine line, story tellers -- these are just a few. Symbolic decoration of the pots links back to thousand year-old pottery. It also links back to the work of archaeologists who recovered the old designs. And it links back to pioneering 20th century Pueblo potters who recovered the ancient styles. The names of Maria Martinez from San Ildefonso, Nampeyo from Hopi, and Lucy Lewis from Acoma are legendary. Who were they and what styles did they master? How did they come to recover the ancestral Pueblo techniques and designs? How do they make and fire their traditional pots? A hint: understanding Pueblo diversity is very important here. Not all Indians are alike. And not all Pueblos are alike, to be sure. Just look at their ceramic styles, pueblo by pueblo. Don't generalize or you'll miss the point about style and tradition. One thing you'll learn about all of this: Pueblo pottery is half biography. If art history is your thing, or biography, or ceramics, you'll be interested in researching this topic.


Bibliography: Bahti. Southwestern Indians Brody, Beauty of the Earth Eaton. Native American Art of the Southwest Feest. Native Arts of North America Indian Pottery of San Ildefonso (video) National Geographic. Southwest. November 1982 Penney. Native American Art Warner. The Life and Art of North American Indians