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Acoma Pottery
During the 1970's and 1980's, new methods threatened to bury the old pottery traditions at Acoma. Kiln-firing became the rage and the economics of greenware drew more and more potters. But the incentives that enticed potters to use these methods are slowly disappearing. More potters are turning away from it in favor of more traditional pieces. Acoma pottery has ended the century on a high note. The best potters approach their craft with a competitiveness that pushes their standards ever higher. Photo source:Saunders, Charles Francis -- The Indians of the Terraced Houses - - New York, London : G. P. Putnam's sons, 1912. |
In the legends of the Acoma (OCK-o-ma) peoples, a story is told of the sacred twins leading their ancestors to Ako, the magical white rock which became their permanent home. The twins also discovered and shared with their people, the whitest, finest clay in all the Southwest. Sky City, the old pueblo of Acoma claims to be the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States. They may, however, get an argument from the Hopi peoples of Old Oraibi village who also claim this distinction.
Thin-walled, large ollas, slipped in pure white and decorated in red and black set the standard for Acoma fine pottery ever since the 18th-century. But that hardly begins to describe the intricate and dramatic designs which characterize modern Acoma pottery. In 1880, the railroad caused a major change in the pottery market. Traders and tourists were unable to travel with the larger ollas, so potters turned to making smaller, eccentric, more manageable pieces.