McCullough1 Andrea McCullough Dr.

Solari Anthropology 220 21 March 2013 Black Ware Pottery of the Pueblo To the Western eye Santa Clara black ware pottery draws aesthetic appeal from its simplicity. The texture and monochromatic geometric decoration seem direct and tasteful highly appropriate for collections of decorative arts. In particular, the black ware pots of Maria Martinez and her husband Julian from San Ildelfonso were valued by collectors such as Emily Johnston De Forest. Although the work of the couple is undeniably exquisite, the pots represent a deeper system of meaning than the aesthetic pleasure the Western eye seeks. Santa Clara black ware pottery is not only a depiction of earlier Tewa cosmology, it is a representation of ritual importance and a celebration of the proud cultural heritage of the modern Pueblo people (Naranjo 47). At the same time, the pottery is a microcosm for Western contact with Native America cultures, showing the aftermath of Western influence on indigenous peoples. Even from a single piece, such as the pot held in the Matson from the De Forest collection by Maria Martinez, these greater themes can be discerned when examined in the context of the larger body of work and ethnographic records. Santa Clara black ware pottery is a style of ceramic production which flourished in the late 19th century and early 20th. It is known for its lustrous black finish that later became decorated either with geometric carving, slip-drawn, or incised design (Pueblo Indian Pottery 12), although the designs themselves are strictly regimented, limited only to geometric and natural designs (Pottery of San Ildelfonso 13). Maria Martinez is particularly renowned for her

McCullough2 work in the Santa Clara style. In fact, she is considered one of the most famous and important Native American artists of the 20th century (Nunley 11). Born in the San Ildelfonso pueblo, a close neighbor of Santa Clara and a town descended from the same Tewa culture, Maria was an active potter from the turn of the 20th century through the 50s. She and her husband Julian refined to technical perfection the Santa Clara method of firing red clay slip to a polished black sheen (Nunley 11). In regards to cultural significance, the Santa Clara black ware is an expression of Pueblo heritage. The making of pottery was a very spiritual act symbolizing communion with nature in the Pueblo Tewa culture (Pueblo Indian Pottery 14). According to the cosmology, the lower half of the universe is a pot which contains life. Containment itself is an inherently sacred concept in Tewa mythology, as the earth, as well as buildings contain human life, making everything people do possible (Naranjo 47). Thus pottery becomes a sacred symbol which is not only domestically and ritually functional but cosmologically representative. The creation of pottery was also seen as a communal and interactive experience. Pueblo potter Tessie Naranjo remembers gathering clay with her family as a child, praying and singing to the clay as it was prepared (Naranjo 48). As opposed to Western art, pottery was not the product of a single artist. In addition to representing Pueblo cultural values, black ware pottery is also directly derived from Western influence on these same values. The reawakening of Pueblo ceramic tradition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries occured in response to Western interest in the Pueblo, sparking a demand for Pueblo goods (Naranjo 47). Tourists and anthropologists alike visited the Pueblo, looking for reproductions of prehistoric works (Pueblo Indian Pottery 11). Durable and beautiful, ceramic goods were a natural market for souvenirs. Indigenous artists like Maria Martinez began to refine the classic style of Santa Clara pottery to please Western visitors.

McCullough3 Although today, she is not even given credit for the innovations in black ware pottery. In fact, in the book, The Pottery of San Ilfefonso Pueblo, contributor John G. Meem cites Western author Kenneth Chapman as catalyzing the style, saying it was Chapman who influenced Julianand his wife Mariato use native designs and the traditional black polished ware technique in making their pottery, thereby sparking a revival of excellence in the making of Indian pottery. (Pottery of San Ildefonso v). On top of Pueblo efforts to please patrons, Western collectors began to encourage artists to sign their work, increasing the value of the pot and stimulating competition. For example, Western collectors pressured Maria Martinez to start sign her pots after 1920 (Nunley 11). Traditional Pueblo beliefs do not advocate signing artworks. People were able to tell pots about by the unique style and small idiosyncrasies of each potter (Nunley 11), not a specific declaration of ownership. Beyond changes in technical aspects and competition, Western influence removed the greater cultural significance of pottery making. In contrast to Naranjos earlier experience, Betty LeFree recorded that there was no ritual associated with clay gathering by the time she conducted her ethnographic research in 1968 (Naranjo 47 and LeFree 9). This represents the loss of cosmological significance as the clay was considered to be mother earth herself, the holder of life (Naranjo 47). Disrespect of the clay would be an insult to life itself. In the end, even a singular piece of Santa Clara reflects these cultural attributes. The smooth, polished, black surface marks it as a piece of Santa Clara style black ware from the turn of the century, a time of great change in the spectrum of Pueblo pottery. The pottery itself symbolizes a revival of the Tewa Pueblo heritage which stresses the dual importance of ritual and cosmology. Next, an analysis of the technical aspects, for example, few bumps, proper

McCullough4 thickness, signify that the piece is the work of Maria Martinez. The signature clearly defines the pot as one of her pieces after 1920, produced under extreme Western pressure to change traditional procedures. Appreciation of Santa Clara black ware pottery is not only limited to its aesthetic appeal. In reality, from a single piece to the entire body of work, the style represents the duality of life as a modern Pueblo, or even a modern Native American. On one hand there is tradition and heritage. The other, Western values such as economic demand, aesthetic pleasure, and individualism. Santa Clara black ware pottery is the reconciliation of these two themes, creating a microcosm of the cultural experience of the Pueblo people in the modern era. Word Count: 1036

McCullough5 Works Cited Chapman, Kenneth M. The Pottery of San Ildefonso Pueblo. 2nd ed. Vol. 28. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1970. Print. Monograph Ser. Chapman, Kenneth M. Pueblo Indian Pottery of the Post-Spanish Period. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Laborartory of Anthropology, 1945. Print. General Ser. LeFree, Betty. Santa Clara Pottery Today. Vol. 29. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1975. Print. Monograph Ser. Nunley, John W., and Janet Berlo. "Native North American Art." Bulletin (St. Louis Art Museum) 20.1 (1991): 1-47. JSTOR. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/40716244>. Naranjo, Tessie. "Pottery Making in a Changing World." Expedition (University Bulletin, University of Pennsylvania) 36.1 (1994): 44-51. Periodicals Archive Online. 2006. Web.