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Pieces of History:
Ceramic Traditions of Central Arizona

Historic Roots

Historic Roots

Though contemporary southwestern pottery styles are diverse, their production is rooted in cultural traditions unchanged since prehistoric times. As long as 2000 years ago, the Hohokam inhabited much of what is now south central Arizona. They prospered here through about AD 1450. By the late 1600s, according to Spanish accounts, this area was home to other people. Little is known from the archaeological record about the intervening years. However, oral traditions of the O’odham speak of ties to the ancient Hohokam. Examination of prehistoric Hohokam pottery lends support to these oral traditions. Although artistic forms have changed, it appears that the methods of pottery manufacture have not changed much in nearly 2000 years.

By the 1700s, south-central Arizona was home to the Akimel O’odham, (Pima) along the Gila River, the Tohono O’odham (Papago) to the south, and the different tribes of Yuman-speaking people to the southwest. Some of these Yuman people, the Piipash (Maricopa), moved steadily eastward along the Gila, settling among the Akimel O’odham by the mid-1800s. The two tribes, although separated by language, were united in their mutual defense, and in many aspects of their culture. The pottery produced by Piipash and O'odham artisans during the rest of the century is correspondingly similar.

Through the 1800's, Southwestern potters invested most of their time and skill in making pottery for everyday use. Ceramic containers were needed for water and food storage, and for cooking. Later, as commercially produced containers came into southwestern markets, potters needed to make fewer functional vessels. They began to explore new vessel forms, some designed for commercial sale to tourists.

New pottery forms and styles continue to be explored. Artistic traditions, passed down through the generations, are represented today at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Gila River Indian Community, the Ak-Chin Indian Community, and the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Collecting History

Behind every collection held by Pueblo Grande Museum, there is a story. Often referred to as "provenance," the history of a collection tells us who did the collecting and when, and about the scientific, artistic, economic or personal motivation behind it. This provenance provides a richer understanding and appreciation of the objects themselves. However, for many acquisitions, there is often no "official" provenance. Their history must be pieced together from various sources, which sometimes do not agree. This makes for interesting detective work.

The Connell Collection

The core of Pueblo Grande’s collection of Piipash pottery was originally formed between the years 1895 and 1907 by Eliza Ann Connell and her daughter, Caroline, as a hobby. The 350 pieces they gathered represented a range of decorative styles and vessel forms. In 1907, Caroline married, and her mother presented their collection to her as a gift.

Thirty years later, Caroline Smurthwaite was forced to sell her pottery. Emil Haury, a renowned archaeologist who worked at the Arizona State Museum (ASM), became aware of the availability of this collection and took a keen interest in obtaining it for his museum in Tucson. Haury stated that the collection was "scientifically valuable because of its completeness and because types are represented which have since been lost." He felt strongly that it should be kept intact and in Arizona.

Unfortunately, ASM had no funds available to purchase the pottery. Smurthwaite informed Haury that a man in Bristol, Rhode Island was extremely interested in the collection. She put Haury into contact with potential donor Burridge D. Butler, publisher of "The Prairie Farmer" in Chicago and associated with KOY radio in Phoenix. After more than six months of letter writing, Butler did purchase the collection, for $500. He donated it to ASM, where Haury assured Butler that "it will be put to maximum use here, not only as for increasing our knowledge of this art among the Maricopa Indians, but also in reaching the maximum number of people through museum exhibit."

But how did the collection come to Pueblo Grande Museum? It appears that, as part of the agreement with Butler, half of the collection was to be returned to Phoenix to be curated by Pueblo Grande Museum, "where it will be near the present home of the Maricopas."

This half of the collection, however, did not remain intact, nor did it remain near the Piipash people. Odd Halseth, the director of Pueblo Grande Museum from 1929 - 1960, proceeded to send portions of the collection to other museums and institutions in the Southwest and beyond. While his motivation was not clear, Halseth realized he was depleting a rare resource. In a letter to F.W. Hodge of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, Halseth writes, "I have selected a few representative examples for permanent collection here at Pueblo Grande.... I have now supplied several museums, including the Laboratory [of Anthropology] and Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe, Casa Grande [National Monument], Eric Douglas in Denver [Art Museum], and some others, and am getting down to the less choice examples." The same day, he writes to Frank Phillips, wealthy oil magnate and collector, "Also an urgent request from the Southwest Museum for some old Maricopa pots, so I must pick out a few for you before the stock is all gone. After my collection is scattered, there isn’t any more to be had, as far as I know." Of the 173 pieces the Museum received in 1939, there are only 91 still here. Given the nature of the pottery left at Pueblo Grande, the original collection must have been spectacular.

Maricopa Pottery Revival

Coincident with the acquisition of the Connell Collection, Pueblo Grande was playing a role in the revival of Maricopa pottery. Several of the Museum’s Revival Period pots seem to be acquired during this florescence, but the provenance of these vessels is not entirely clear. Some catalog cards, made out at the same time as those for the Connell Collection, also indicate the donor as "B.D. Butler." They are not included in the inventory of pots received from the ASM, so we must assume that this was a separate transaction.

We know more about the Maricopa Revival movement, through documents preserved in the Pueblo Grande Museum Archives. Elisabeth Hart, a Home Extension Agent with the U.S. Indian Service, encouraged the potters to produce more and finer wares. The artists formed a cooperative, and subscribed to standards of excellence, based on previous ceramic revival efforts in New Mexico. Pueblo Grande was a venue for the potters to sell their goods as well as demonstrate their craft to the public.

Unlike Pueblo potters, the Piipash did not have a buying public traveling to their doors. The pueblos of new Mexico and northern Arizona were tourist destinations in themselves; the Piipash villages were not. These enterprising women had to find ways to get their wares to a market, including special demonstrations and exhibits.

The potter’s cooperative did not last long. Lack of transportation, World War II, and accompanying shortages and rationing were all factors; most important may have been the untimely death of Elisabeth Hart in May 1941. Through subsequent years, Pueblo Grande acquired several more pieces of Revival Style pottery. Mary Juan, often considered to be the most accomplished of the potters, is particularly well represented. The Museum also holds works by Pearl Miller, Ida Redbird, and Lula Young that date to this period.

O'odham Pottery

In contrast, the Museum holds very few historic or contemporary pieces of O'odham pottery. Perhaps five vessels can be attributed with confidence to the Tohono or Akimel O'odham; of these, only two have recorded provenance. This may reflect the lower number of O'odham potters producing pieces for a commercial market. The family of Rupert Angea, who produce polychrome "circle dance" vessels, is represented in the Museum's collection.

More Recent Acquisitions

In the last twenty five years, donations from the Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary and private individuals have increased the size of our Maricopa collection. Artists such as Therline Bread, Phyllis Cerna, Barbara Johnson, Grace Monahan, and Gertrude Stevens are represented. Of these potters, Phyllis Cerna has had the closest relationship with the Museum. She has held several pottery workshops at Pueblo Grande, and the Museum Store often carries her pieces for sale.

Read More About It:

Fernald, Mary L.
1973 "A Study of Maricopa Pottery." Unpublished thesis, Arizona State University, Tempe.

Fontana, Bernard L., William J. Robinson, Charles W. Cormack, and Earnest J. Leavitt, jr.
1962 Papago Indian Pottery. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Russell, Frank
1975 The Pima Indians. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Sheridan, Thomas E.
1995 Arizona: A History. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Spier, Leslie
1978 Yuman Tribes of the Gila River. Dover Publications, New York.

Stoeppelmann, Janet and Mary Fernald
1995 Dirt for Making Things. Northland Publishing, Flagstaff.

Teiwes, Helga
1988 "The Art of Rupert Angea, Contemporary Papago Potter." Masterkey, 62(1):3-11. Southwest Museum, Los Angeles.

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