Few craft artists, Native American
or otherwise, can claim worldwide fame and
appreciation, but these accompanied the life of
potter Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo.
Through her hard work and generous sharing of her
techniques, Maria reintroduced the art of pottery
making to her people, providing them with a means of
artistic expression and for retaining some aspects
of the pueblo way of life.
San Ildefonso Pueblo is
a quiet community located 20 miles northwest of
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Inhabited since A.D. 1300, the
pueblo saw many changes that resulted in a rich
culture, in which ancient traditions mix with
Spanish festivals and Anglo conveniences. Life in
the Tewa-speaking village on the Pajarito Plateau is
filled with love for one's neighbor and respect for
the God-given gifts of the earth. Into this
community, at a time of great transition from
isolation to increased contact with other peoples,
Maria Antonia Montoya was born, probably in the year
1887. For nearly one hundred years, until her death
in 1980, Maria lived in the pueblo, eager to greet
visitors and to share her craft with those who would
like to watch and listen.
Maria's
fascination with pottery-making started at a young
age, when she would watch her aunt making pots,
after her chores were done. Although many women in
the pueblo knew how to make pottery, by Maria's time
it was no longer a necessary part of daily life.
Inexpensive Spanish tinware and Anglo enamelware had
replaced traditional containers and cooking pots. In
many ways, the art of pottery making was facing
extinction. Fortunately, Maria's interest and
willingness to experiment with techniques prevented
this from occurring.
Not long after her marriage
to Julian Martinez, Maria was asked to replicate
some pre-historic pottery styles that had been
discovered in an archaeological excavation of an
ancient pueblo site near San Ildefonso. These
excavations of 1908 and 1909, led by Dr. Edgar Lee
Hewett (who was also the director of the Museum of
New Mexico), produced examples of many pre-historic
pottery techniques. Dr. Hewett asked Maria, who
already had a reputation in the pueblo for being an
excellent pottery-maker, if she could make
full-scale examples for the museum of the polychrome
ware. It was then that Maria and her husband, Julian
(who painted the designs on the pottery after Maria
shaped them), began an artistic collaboration that
would last throughout their lives together.
Maria and Julian refined their pottery techniques and were asked to demonstrate
their craft at several expositions, including the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair,
the 1914 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, and the 1934 Chicago World's
Fair. Part of their success came from their innovations in the style of
black-on-black ware.
Although other pueblos, such as Santa Clara, had been producing
black wares, Maria and Julian invented a technique that would allow for areas of
the pottery to have a matte finish and other areas to be a glossy jet black.
Through experimentation that began in 1919, they created a style that would
become world famous.
Part of the unique-ness of San Ildefonso pottery
is the clay that is used, which comes from their
reservation. Dried clay and volcanic ash are
collected yearly from selected locations throughout
the reservation, and later combined with water in
small batches. The clay from each pueblo has its own
mineral composition, allowing for rich differences
in texture and color. The watery clay slip that is
used on the black wares, for example, has a rich
iron content that turns black when fired in a
particular way.
After a batch of clay is mixed and has set for a few
days, a "pancake" of clay is formed and pressed into
a puki, beginning the process of building a pot. The
puki is a bowl-shaped form that supports the bottom
of the pot as it is being built. Most commonly, pots
are formed with a coil technique, in which long
snake-shaped coils are circled around the base of
the pot and blended together to create the walls of
the vessel. A potter's wheel is not used in
traditional pueblo pottery making. When the height
and the amount of clay are just right, the walls of
the pot are smoothed and shaped into curves with
pieces of gourd, called kajepes.
The pot is left to partially dry after the form is completed. In its semi-dried
state, the pot is ready to be scraped, which refines the shape and removes any
irregularity. Then the pot is sanded with sandpaper to rid it of any grit. The
red slip is applied next, and the pot must be burnished with a stone before the
slip dries completely. This step is most critical for the glossy nature of the
black wares.
A decoration is painted onto the polished surface, resulting in
matte areas once the piece is fired. Traditionally the men of the pueblo do the
painting, but women were taught the process and painted during the times that
the men had left the pueblo for work. Julian replicated and was inspired by many
pre-historic designs. He was fond of many motifs, using ancient symbols in new
combinations. He often painted the avanyu, the horned water serpent, which he
saw as a symbol for the rush of water after a hard rain, and as a metaphor for
the pueblo itself.
Black wares become so in the firing process. This
labor-intensive task is done after many pots have
been made, to maximize efficiency. Wood and dried
cow manure are piled around an iron grill, upon
which the pottery has been carefully stacked. The
pile is lit and left to burn for a specified amount
of time, until the fire has reached its maximum
heat. At this time the fire is smothered with ash or
fresh manure, producing a smoke-filled reducing
atmosphere that turns the pots black. Variations in
the process can produce pottery with black areas and
red areas, which are also popular.
For
many years, Maria and Julian produced their pottery
together amid raising a family and carrying out
traditional duties for the pueblo. Their children
were taught the importance of the craft, and they
participated in various ways. After Julian's death
in 1943, Maria began working with her
daughter-in-law Santana. Santana provided the
painted decoration that was her father-in-law's
legacy. After 1956, Maria also worked with her son
Popovi Da. It was Popovi who helped market her work,
building a shop at the pueblo and speaking about the
pottery tradition of San Ildefonso at lectures
across the country. One of the family's most
innovative potters is Maria's grandson Tony Da. Tony
combined sculptural techniques with traditional
forms to create unique forms. Due to a motorcycle
accident, Tony no longer makes pottery, but he
continues to work as a painter. Many other family
members and people from San Ildefonso continue to
make pottery, carrying on the tradition so openly
shared by Maria.
Maria signed her pieces several different ways over the course of her life, and
to some extent, these signatures can help to date her work. At first, she signed
her pots "Marie" because she was told that this name would be more familiar to
those who would buy her work. Through the years her pieces were signed "Poh ve
ka," "Marie," "Marie & Julian," "Marie & Santana," "Maria Poveka," and "Maria/Popovi."
Since
her death in 1980, the pottery of Maria and her family has become increasingly
more collectible and difficult to find.
Maria Poveka
1956 - 1965
Undecorated wares were signed by Maria with her Hispanic and Indian names. "Poveka"
is the Indian word for Pond Lily.
Maria's
fascination with pottery-making started at a young
age, when she would watch her aunt making pots,
after her chores were done. Although many women in
the pueblo knew how to make pottery, by Maria's time
it was no longer a necessary part of daily life.
Inexpensive Spanish tinware and Anglo enamelware had
replaced traditional containers and cooking pots. In
many ways, the art of pottery making was facing
extinction. Fortunately, Maria's interest and
willingness to experiment with techniques prevented
this from occurring.
For
many years, Maria and Julian produced their pottery
together amid raising a family and carrying out
traditional duties for the pueblo. Their children
were taught the importance of the craft, and they
participated in various ways. After Julian's death
in 1943, Maria began working with her
daughter-in-law Santana. Santana provided the
painted decoration that was her father-in-law's
legacy. After 1956, Maria also worked with her son
Popovi Da. It was Popovi who helped market her work,
building a shop at the pueblo and speaking about the
pottery tradition of San Ildefonso at lectures
across the country. One of the family's most
innovative potters is Maria's grandson Tony Da. Tony
combined sculptural techniques with traditional
forms to create unique forms. Due to a motorcycle
accident, Tony no longer makes pottery, but he
continues to work as a painter. Many other family
members and people from San Ildefonso continue to
make pottery, carrying on the tradition so openly
shared by Maria.
Since
her death in 1980, the pottery of Maria and her family has become increasingly
more collectible and difficult to find.
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