Hopi pottery1

A detailed Summary of Hopi pottery1


Hopi Pottery is a historic art that has been passed down through many generations. The Hopi Indians have lived in the same area of the Southwest (present day Arizona) even before the time of Columbus. The prehistoric ancestors of the Hopi Indians were the Anasazi Indians. The Hopi Indians lived on desert land at the foot of the mesas. Hopi women made beautiful clay bowls, baskets, and jewelry. The art of pottery making came to these early Pueblo Indians by Meso-American Indians around 700A.D. Between this time and 1400 A.D., grey utilitarian ware was being produced for everyday needs which eventually evolved into a more colorful and decorative style of pottery.

The 14th century became an extremely active period for the Hopi potters. New clays and firing techniques were employed transforming soft textured pots into harder, smoother and denser ones. The materials and techniques evolving during that time period resulted in a new form of pottery called sikyatki polychrome. This style, which involves painting directly on


After the pottery has been carefully fired, it is then painted and decorated. The pottery is painted with native vegetations and minerals. The majority of the pottery is painted with natural dark paint, processed from a weed called Ausa. There are other several colors of pottery, beige or tan color, some white, and some red color is used by a few potters.

The technique the Hopis use in order to build their pots is a simple, yet a very complicated process. This method's called the coiling method. The first step is to choose the clay to make the pot. The Hopis choose the clay by tasting it, and they favor sweet clay over bitter clay because of its excellent quality. Then, the clay is taken little by little and rolled into a sausage. The sausage is stacked up on to the skeleton to form a new layer, also blending with the previous layer. This process is repeated several types until it forms a shape desired by the potter. After the potter has formed the shape, the surface of the pot is sanded and highly polished. Next, af

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Category: Arts

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