About Hopi Native American Pottery

The most important requirement in the art of Hopi Native American pottery making is experience, which is often taught by kinswomen and neighbors in a village.  Clay is the first thing, and is found along the sides of washes, streams and in layered deposits that sometimes occur in rocky areas.  Different kinds of clay occur throughout the Southwest and, quite naturally, the kind of clay present in an area affects the kind of pottery made in that area.

After grinding the clay into a fine powder, the potter carefully adds other material such as sand, crushed potsherds, or crushed rock to improve the drying qualities of the clay when it is shaped into a pot.  The clay is moistened with water, wrapped in rags, and allowed to cure for several days until all particles are uniformly moist.

Now ready for use, the potter takes a ball of clay and molds it over the outside of a previously made bowl to form a base for a new pot.  Once formed, coils of clay are pinched into place on the base along the edge of the mold, increasing the height of the vessel walls.  This leaves pinch marks and usually a rounded object of stone or pottery is used to scrape the marks away.  This method is called “coil” and “scrape.”

After allowing the vessel to sit for a time to dry, a smooth stream pebble is dipped in water and the potter rubs the surface, often to a shiny, burnished appearance.  If the natural color of the clay is unwanted by the potter, she may apply a “slip” over the pot.  Mixing water with certain very fine clays will either fire white or red.

When the paint has dried, the vessel is ready for firing.  Time may pass until the weather is just right for firing.  When the time comes, a fire is built and allowed to burn down into coals.  Then, some pots are placed on rocks or pieces of broken pottery to keep them above the coals, and more pots are stacked on top of them.  Larger potsherds are leaned against the stack of vessels to protect them for searing flames and burning fuel, since a dark, circular smudge called a fire cloud will form if flames or smoke comes too close to the pot.  Once the stack is prepared, it is completely covered with fuel, set afire and allowed to burn down into coals.  After the coals and pots have cooled, the pots are removed and the potter will see if she has been successful.  Most of the time, a beautiful piece of Hopi pottery emerges from the smoke and burnt fuel.

Several factors keep Hopi potters from taking shortcuts.  Weight of tradition, especially if it’s combined with family pressure, counts for a lot, but so does market pressure.  Where even a faint fire could mar Acoma white to the point of unacceptability, buyers expect and actually prefer a burnished discoloration of Hopi yellow.

The Hopi reservation lies about 80 miles northeast of Flagstaff.  The most famous of all Hopi potters was a woman from Hano called Nampeyo.  What she and family achieved with their pottery defined modern Hopi pottery today.

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