PuebloPotteryDotCom

New Mexico, August 2001

Visitors to New Mexico are bombarded with Native Americana (Native Americanism?) from the moment they land at Albuquerque and walk past the airport shops, where the array of merchandise includes a version of pueblo pottery. It is factory produced, mould-made and miniaturised for easy carriage - not authentic pueblo work. The authenticity of such objects lies elsewhere, in their function as tourist souvenirs and, as signs of the real thing, in their ability to convey stimulating notions of cultural difference.³⁶ Between Albuquerque and Santa Fe lies an immense desert landscape - the backdrop of countless Hollywood westerns. The highway passes smooth adobe buildings dwarfed by massive advertising imagery, and the words 'Indian' and 'Native American' are everywhere. Three anomalous hoardings that display anti-nuclear messages are a reminder that about thirty miles from Santa Fe as the crow flies, the scientific research centre of Los Alamos sits squarely between Jemez, Cochiti, San Idelfonso and Santa Clara pueblos.³⁷ The birthplace of the atomic bomb, nowadays Los Alamos is a focus for informatics research associated with the Human Genome Project. Defence-related activities continue at Los Alamos National Laboratory however.³⁸ Meanwhile in Santa Fe itself, research into artificial intelligence is carried out at the Santa Fe Institute. The proximity of what Haraway calls 'technoscience'³⁹ adds another layer to an already complex social and cultural mix, and suggests a local population with higher than average 'e awareness'. There is no dearth of web-related business, especially site designers, in the area, and the Internet is routinely used by 'alternative' organisations.⁴⁰

New Mexico: Santa Fe Indian Market

Santa Fe is the cultural heart of New Mexico.⁴¹ When I arrived the town was gearing up for the Indian Market (17^th - 18^th August). It is an eagerly anticipated annual event, and an extraordinary spectacle, when thousands of makers, dealers, gallery owners, tourists and other interested parties descend on the town. According to my contacts, this one weekend can make or break a local business. The centre of town is closed to motor traffic and streets are lined with over a thousand stalls selling Native American merchandise.

There were 361 pottery stalls. By and large stall-holders were Native American and visitors were 'Anglos'.⁴² An intensification of ethnic identity was evident on both sides. Two socially and culturally disparate groups encountering the Other, mediated by the myriad artefacts that drew them together. (Illustrations)

With the ratio of female to male stall-holders at about 260:101, the correlation between women and pueblo pottery was very evident. More often than not, the active selling was done by women, usually in pairs or small groups. When I did come across a group of men apparently in charge of a stall their demeanour was distinctly 'laid-back' (see illustration). Stereotypical imagery abounded; there were chiefs and warriors, and everywhere the Indian maiden, her 'olla' gracefully balanced on her head, beautiful and passive. I also noticed a particularly kitsch version of Warhol's Marilyn. (See illustrations.)

Each pottery stall had a small plaque with the maker's name and their pueblo origin. Many of the better-known potters also displayed larger signs overhead.

Visitors were encouraged to touch the goods, and the quality of the pots under my fingers varied. Some were exquisitely finished, with detailed designs and thin (but not too thin) walls. Others were not so well made, with patchy paint work, walls of varying thickness and, in a few cases, powdery inner surfaces. Many pots were displayed with a photograph album alongside. This always showed the potter in the act of pit or bon-firing, and was intended as proof of authenticity. Overt technicality characterised the prize-winning pots, which had been awarded satin rosettes, displayed on the tables beside them. If a potter had featured in a publication, then that too went on the table. The design content overall was broadly traditional, the prices comparatively expensive, especially if the maker was (as many were) from one of the better-known pueblo potting families.⁴³ There was a category for innovation, but on the whole what I would call innovatory versions of pueblo pottery were few and far between. There was little opportunity to question individual potters at any length - they were so busy selling their wares. I eavesdropped as much as possible and took photographs. (See illustrations).

There are parallels between the web sites I visited and the Indian Market. In each case pueblo pottery is juxtaposed with an array of different artefacts; one either clicks on a button, or moves to another stall. It was exciting to recognise pots from past encounters on the Internet. At www.nativepots.com for example, there are images of pots by Jody and Susan Folwell. They measure up well to the real thing. Both women work comparatively large, as pueblo pottery goes, and in this context size is significant. Since images are inevitably tailored to screen size - whatever that is - the visual environment of the web has a normalising effect. Indeed, in some cases the on-screen version exceeds the real object, or rather, one's perception of it is both standardised and enhanced. Annie Baca's pots fill the screen, but they are actually small, and the difference between their real and virtual presence is significant. The same is true of Dolores Curran's work. Compare the web site images (www.nativepots.com/scpottery.html) with my photographs taken at the Indian Market. (See illustrations).