NEW MEXICO MAGAZINEVol.84 No.8 AUG.2006

STORY l-tY CH;\RL[:S BENI{I:TTPHSTCS BY S]-EVri [-i\RESi:

Linda Tafoya, of Santa Clara Pueblo, finishes forming a pot at herhome at San llde{onso Pueblo. Tafoya comes from a long line ofrespected potters, leaders in Santa Clara carved-black designs.

Her famif y hosts a show this month, Margaret Tafoya FamilyPottery Show: Four Generations, Aug. 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p'm.

at the Tony Roller Indian Pottery Gallery, 11lz miles south ofEspaffola on N.M. 30, (505) 753-3003. Tafoya may be reached at

(5OS) 927-2877 or Route 5 Box 445-A Santa Fe, NM 87506.

ORNING WAS SEVERAL HOURS AWAY AS MERTON STSNNROS

fed the fire outside his home at Santa Clara Pueblo.

Laid directly on the ground, encircled by a low ringof cinders, the fire bumed down revealing three metal generator

casings on which a metal crate was placed containing frve red-

slipped pots-bottoms up-and one owl figurine. A cookie sheet

was placed on top of the pottery more wood added, the firespringing to life.

Once the fire burned to the point only an experienced potter

would know, the ring of cinders, mixed bumed wood and horse

manure was shoveled on, smothering the flames and forminga mound. Additional pulverized horse manute was added. Thesmothered frre was left just long enough: lime measured not witha watch but by custom-"just long enough for a cup of coffee,"

as Merton was taught by his mother. lfhen the pottery was

retrieved, what had been red, unfired pottery was now beautifultrademark black-on-black Santa Clara pottery, turning blackfrom the carbon and reduction ofoxygen.

Firing pottery the traditional way is the last step in makingSanta Clara pottery. Clay and sandstone for temper are collectedfrom long-established sources, then prepared to a certain con-sistency. The clay is molded by hand or pressed into the inside

fragment of a broken pot. The rest of the pot is then built up

from coils of clay, one on top of another, referred to as the "coiltechnique." After the pot is shaped, scraped and smoothed a red

slip is applied: Merton and his wife, Linda, apply seven slip coats.

Stones are used to polish the vessel; Merton's were his motherAdelaide's. They then paint symbols making their pottery unusu-

a1, passed down through generations of the Sisneros family, such

as triangles, representing stability and three forces of life, and the

favorite of Merton's grandmother Anastacia. There are also thetwin mountains, west of Santa Clara Pueblo; the plant symbol,

respect for green life; avanyu, the water serpent; kiva steps; and

feathers, for the eagle.

Merton began making pottery when he was 7 years old,

recently winning an award of excellence at the Arizona State

Museum's Southwest Indian Fair. He and his wife are full-timepotters, firing every other day and selling at the portal (porch) ofthe Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, sometimes while theirpottery is still warm.

TFIE BIRTFT OF POTTERYA RCHAEoLocrsrs BELIEVE rur Purelo porrERy TRADITIoN

A{ rs 2,000 years old. The beginning of pottery is linkedn tto th" increase ofagriculture and dependence on cornand beans. On the Colorado Plateau, where the Ancestral

$P[RHT CLAYCFT[-IE

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The I92Os were pivotal for Pueblo pottery: The SouthwesternAffairs (SWAIA), sponsor of Santa Fe's Indian Market, was

tnter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial at Gallup and the Indian

Puebloans developed as a distinct culture, the first pottery was a

crude brownware. About a.o. 600 pottery technology changedand grayware was made, with stronger walls and greater thermalshock resistance.

The Ancestral Puebloans began painting their grayware pot-tery shortly after they started making it. Early decorated grayware

is referred to as black.on.white pottery, and was made at NewMexico's Chaco Canyon from the 9th century until about 1150,

when it was abandoned. The Chacoans moved into other areas,

including the present Pueblo villages of the Rio Grande.The historic period of Pueblo pottery began in 1598 with the

Spanish colony at Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan) Pueblo. Potterychanged as new vessels were made: soup bowls, candlesticks,chalices and other items, often with new designs. Manure was

used as fuel: less labor-intensive than wood, it enabled more uni-

Association on Indianfounded. So were theArts Fund Collection.

Linda Tafoya uses simple tools such as gourds, stones,screwdrivers and fire to create her works of art.

form firing temperatures. By the middle to late 19th century, pot-ters began incorporating birds, flowers and abstract designs.

Other events impacted Pueblo pottery in historic times:The Santa Fe Tiail (1821-1880) introduced commercial kitchenwares, tin pails and enamelware, taking the place of Pueblo.madepottery, and the arrival of the railroads to New Mexico in 1880

brought more substitutes for Pueblo pottery along with the firsttourists. Pueblo potters began making souvenirs and smallerpottery items: bowls with handles, coffee cups, sugar bowls, flowervases, candlesticks and pitchers, often decorated with minimalattention to detail. By 1900 very littie pottery was being made forNative use.

In 1907 archaeological excavations on the Pajarito Plateaubegan. San Ildefonso men, including Julian Martinez, worked onthe digs, bringing home prehistoric potsherds to show their wives.It appears that Julian and Maria Martinez were commissioned tomake replicas of ancient pots at this time. Other village womenalso experimented with making traditional pottery again, includ-ing Ramona Gonzales, Tonita Roybal and Maximiliana Martinez.

THE EARLY YEARSn pRoJEcr INITIATED IN rgrz ro HELI porrERs nnov SaN

I{ Ildefonso improve the quality of their pottery was takenL Lorrer by the Museum of New Mexico in 1919. In1922, anannual event-the Southwest Indian Fair-was held, with prizes

for best pottery from nine Pueblo villages, stimulating competi-tion. Throughout the next several years other villages enteredthe fair.

The 1920s were pivotal for Pueblo pottery: The SouthwesternAssociation on Indian Affairs (S\7AIA), sponsor of Santa Fe's

Indian Market, was founded. So were the Inter-Tiibal IndianCeremonial at Gallup and the Indian Arts Fund Collection.

Please see Paee 58

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SPIRTT OF CI,A3'Continued from Page 56

After winning prizes Maria Martinez began

signing pieces, in 1925, with other potters

following suit. Other events and institu-tions also encouraged Pueblo potrers: the

Exposition of Indian Tiibal Arts and theopening of the Laboratory of Anthropology(1931) and the federal government's GreatDepression art programs. By 1936 shapes

of Pueblo pottery again changed to attractbuyers: ashtrays, tall-necked vases, cigarette

boxes, pottery animal bookends and jars forlamp bases.

\il/orld War II and the rest of the 1940s

saw continuing improvement of Pueblopottery, but on a limited scale. ManyPueblo men served in the Armed Forces,

and supporting institutions suffered budget

cuts. By the 1950s, students at Santa Fe

Indian School studied the pottery collec-tions at the Laboratory of Anthropology.

By the 1960s and 1970s, competitionwas keen to produce prize-winning pieces

at shows and markets. Demand for Pueblo

pottery was high, with prices and qualityon the rise, yet more sales opportunitiesand exposure were sought. The Pueblos

themselves took the initiative, establish-

ing Oke Oweenge Arts and Crafts Co-op,Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (1968), EightNorthern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show(1973), the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centerin Albuquerque, Santo Domingo Pueblo

Arts and Crafts Show (1975) and several

other venues.

A FAMILY AFFAIRrf-t oDAY PorrERY ls MADE tN ALL

tr ot rhe l9 lueblo villages. ThreeI. villages particularly known for

fine pottery are Acoma, San Ildefonsoand Santa Clara. The potters of AcomaPueblo, in west-central New Mexico, use

local clay of a consistency enabiing thin-walled vessels ro which bright white siips

are applied with decorations painted inblack and other colors. Acoma potters use

a variety of designs-parrots, rainbows,geometrlc pattems and prehistoric motifs.Some of the famous Acoma potters are

members of the Lewis, Sandoval, Vallo,Garcia, Aragon, Concho, Chino, Cernoand Torivio families.

San Ildefonso Pueblo and Santa ClaraPueblo are along the Rio Grande, northof Santa Fe. The black-on-black pottery,developed by Maria Martinez (1887-

1980), featuring alternating lustrous and

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matte finishes, is a signature pottery forSan lldefonso. Maria's porr"ry is highlysought by collectors, since she is recognizedtoday as one of our country's foremo.t ,.t-ists. Other forms of San Ildefonso pottervinclude redware and polychrom. (i*o o.more colors) vessels, carved and smoothsurfaced and figurines. One innovationat San Ildefonso is the technique ofset_ting stones into pieces after firing. San

The smothered fire wasIeft just lcng enough:time ffreasured not witha watch but by custom-"just long enoughfor a cup of eoffee,,,as Mertsn was taughtby his mother.

Ildefonso porrery dynasties include, besidesthe extended family of Maria Martinez,the family of Blue Corn Calabaza, IohnGonzales, Alfred Aguilar, Eric Suniird andRussell Sanchez, to name but a few of therenowned potters ofSan Ildefonso pueblo.

Santa Clara is known for polishedblackware, a style daring at least to rhe1Zth century. Around 1930, members ofthe_ Thfoya family began carving porrery_atechnique requiring thick vessel wails,with sculpted designs produced by carefullvcarving selected parts of rhe wall of rhepot. Many Santa Clara pots have a bearpaw design impressed into them. In recenttimes Joseph Lonewolf and others havedeveloped a low-relief carving techniquecailed sgraffrto. Other potters havedeveloped nonffadirional designs. SantaClara potrers also make ,.d*ui", usins thesame clay as blackware.

Pottery has been produced by thePuebio peoples for hundreds of years. Atprehistoric sites it is potsherds that sivearchaeologists the clearest record oflheiractivities, movements and contacts withoutside groups. Today pottery is a cuituraltouchsrone, and it will no doubr endure asa symbol of Pueblo vitaiity and cuituralidentity. @tCharles Bennett, of T or C, is a bimonthlvcontributor to,,Southwest Bookshelf.,,

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