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pot hunting Sort through the bewildering variety of fine Native American pottery. Soon you’ll have a beautiful and probably increasingly valuable collection of this unique indigenous art.
This intricately patterned piece of Acoma pottery was purchased in the 1940s by the parents of photographer Theodore Greer at their Zuni Mountain Trading Post on Highway 66.
Pottery is arguably the richest and most complex craft tradition of the Southwest’s Native Americans. Today collectors value these beautiful ceramic vessels as a continuation of centuries of Native American heritage, and prices have risen steadily into the thousands of dollars for quality pieces.
Shops from Santa Fe to San Diego overflow with Native American ceramic wares, representing a kaleidoscope of local styles. For the casual traveler and novice collector, selecting the perfect piece can be intimidating. How to make sense of the varying styles and pricing? How to judge quality and authenticity?
Making traditional pottery
To understand why Native American pottery is so highly valued, you have to start with its history. For more than 2,000 years, the native peoples of Arizona and New Mexico have crafted and decorated clay vessels. Some pots played important roles in ceremonies, but the vast majority served more mundane purposes such as storing food and water or were traded with others. Based on archaeological evidence of pottery excavated across the Southwest, some of today’s pots owe their stylistic heritage to the ancient forebears of today’s modern Native American tribes—the Ancestral Puebloans, the Hohokam, and the Mogollon.
Today’s best Native American potters follow the traditional techniques passed down from these ancestors. The laborious preparation process begins by gathering abundant local clay, then sorting, sifting, and soaking it. Additional materials may be added to the clay mixture, including horsehair, sand, rocks, and even shards of broken pots to achieve a certain consistency or texture. The clay mixture is dried in the sun, then resoaked for several days and strained across a metal screen to make it the right consistency for working by hand.
Traditionally, Native American potters do not use a potter’s wheel but rather hand-build the pieces by coiling a ropelike form of clay into the desired shape, then smoothing the surface by hand or with a knifelike instrument. Alternately, the potter may mold a piece by pressing the clay into a basket or even a shallow hole in the ground. Once the pot hardens, the potter may sand it using a smooth stone or incise designs into it using a knife or a stick. The potter may also color or paint designs using slip—a mixture of clay and water—and/or dyes derived from local plants. Traditionally, pots are fired over an open flame, although some cultures have long used earthenware kilns. Sheep or cow dung is clustered around the pots and ignited, creating fuel for the fire.
What to look for
Across New Mexico, each pueblo is known for its own traditional style that is distinct from the others and usually easily recognizable once you’ve trained your eye by looking at a lot of pots. Each group is known for particular shapes and forms as well as traditional decorative vocabulary and color schemes. Today some two dozen distinctive styles are being produced. However, that does not mean every artisan in a single pueblo creates the same style, and there is a wide range of individuality. Some individual potters boast regional or national reputations, while other, practically unknown artisans in the same pueblo craft beautiful, high-quality wares. An entire typology of shapes, from bean pots to ceremonial bowls, melon jars, fetish containers, and more, adds another level of complexity. You can find quality, authentic pots in every shape and style, so each purchase is a matter of personal taste.
Here are some of the major pottery styles you will encounter, loosely divided into cultural groups:
Nambé, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara, and Tesuque: The Tewa-speaking peoples living between Española and Santa Fe craft the Southwest’s most famous pottery styles. Of these, San Ildefonso is the best known, thanks to its renowned resident Maria Martinez (1887–1980), an icon in the world of Native American pottery. Maria, as she is commonly called, developed a style of reflective black-on-black pottery created by smothering the pot in the kiln so no oxygen reaches it. Today many of San Ildefonso’s potters produce wares in this style. With more than 200 active potters, Santa Clara ranks alongside Acoma (see below) as a major Pueblo pottery capital whose residents rely on the famous wares as their primary economic force. Santa Clara wares often include figural and animal decoration as well as symbolic motifs, but the pueblo is best known for its characteristic single-handled, two-spouted “wedding vase.” San Juan, Tesuque, Nambé, and Pojoaque constitute minor pottery centers but are still known for their red and black wares.
Acoma, Cochiti, Laguna, Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, and Zia: The Keres-speaking peoples west and southwest of Santa Fe cover their characteristic pots with an opaque, cream-colored slip, then paint striking geometric patterns of black and/or red. Of this group, Acoma and Santo Domingo are the most well known for their large-scale pots with classic shapes. A large, round vessel called an olla is one of the most characteristic selections you can make in Acoma. “Storyteller” figures depicting an adult surrounded by children listening intently to a story also fall into this group, although they are a relatively recent invention, popularized by Cochiti artisans in the 1960s. Santa Ana and Zia are minor pottery centers, but a few of their artisans have begun to revive ancient pottery traditions.
Taos and Picurís: Artisans in these two Tiwa-speaking pueblos in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range developed pottery referred to as micaceous ware because of the glittery mineral, mica, that is incorporated into the clay. When fired, the vessels impart a shiny, metallic appearance that is all the more noticeable because the wares usually remain undecorated.
In addition to these pottery centers, many other Native American artisans create pottery. The Hopi, for example, have created a distinctive style that is immediately recognizable because of its honey-apricot color, a result of firing the particular clay around the Hopi mesas.
If you are in the market for a quality piece of Native American pottery, what should you look for? It pays to be as educated as possible. Many factors can influence the value of a pot, and you should always examine it carefully before buying. Is the shape symmetrical? Is the potter known? Is the piece signed? Was it made using completely traditional techniques? Factors that affect a pot’s price include size, uniformity, figural decoration, presence or lack of cracks or lumps, and whether the potter is well known. Most collectors steer clear of pots that are broken, cracked, or flawed. Fire clouds—black coloration on the outside of the pot—are usually proof that the pot has been fired on an open fire and not in an electric kiln. Some collectors consider fire clouds less desirable, while others value them as visual evidence that the object is handmade. Cracks, even if they have been repaired, almost always lower the value of the pot.
Prices for Native American pottery start at less than $100 for small items but can reach several thousands of dollars for large pieces or custom designs.
Over the past three decades, many individual potters and family pottery dynasties have made names for themselves. Unsigned pots or those signed by little-known potters in typical traditional styles can be had for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Through the 1960s few Native American potters signed their works, but after the fame of Maria Martinez and a few others, the trend grew, and today it is increasingly common for potters to sign their works. Signed pots by Maria Martinez now fetch as high as five figures at auction. However, just because a pot is unsigned does not mean that it is not high quality or authentic; your selection should be above all a matter of personal taste.
Where to buy Native American pottery
Now that you know what to look for, where to buy? Luckily many of the Southwest’s Native American potters welcome visitors into their studios to see them work, which is an excellent opportunity to learn more about this historic craft and meet the artisan in person. To guarantee that you’re getting authentic wares, buy directly from the artisan in the pueblos. Many individual potters post signs in their homes and open them to visitors wishing to learn more and purchase these wares directly from the source. Otherwise you should always buy from a reputable dealer, someone with a regional or national reputation who guarantees authenticity in writing and offers a clear return policy.
Unfortunately, in the past grave robbing has been a real issue in Native American pottery. Unethical treasure hunters pilfered large finely decorated pots—those reserved for the grave—and profited from the high prices these types of pieces command on the market. If you are buying an antique pot, be sure to have the dealer provide a written statement that substantiates its origin. No matter if you buy an antique or contemporary piece, you want to buy from someone who will take the time to educate you about the techniques used to make it and its history and, of course, answer any questions.
By no means an exhaustive list, these are a few reputable sellers of Pueblo pottery. In Santa Fe, Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery (100 West San Francisco Street, 505/986-1234, andreafisherpottery.com) is one of the region’s most respected dealers of quality Pueblo pottery. Shiprock Trading (shiprocktrading.com), a historic trading post with locations in Albuquerque (413 Romero Street NW, 505/242-4080), Farmington (301 West Main Street, 505/324-0881), and Santa Fe (53 Old Santa Fe Trail, second floor, 505/982-8478), is also a good bet. The Case Trading Post at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe (704 Camino Lejo, 505/982-4636, casetradingpost.com) also carries quality antique and contemporary pottery.
Finally, don’t miss the annual Indian Market in Santa Fe each August (swaia.org) and the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market in Phoenix each March (2301 North Central Avenue, 602/252-8848, heard.org), both of which host many excellent potters. Both are juried exhibitions, which means that the artisans and their works have all been approved by a panel of art experts. You can rest assured that you’re buying a quality, authentic pot.
If after all your research and browsing, you experience buyer’s remorse, no worries. Many dealers will accept a “trade in” of your old pot for a new one.
Laura Morelli is the author of Made in the Southwest: A Shopper’s Guide to the Region’s Best Native American, Hispanic, and Western Craft Traditions, published by Rizzoli-Universe. Learn more at lauramorelli.com.