Hopi pottery essays

Hopi pottery essays Pottery is an essential part of the lives of the Hopi Indians in the Arizona region. They have dwelled in this region from about 1100 A.D and have created some excellent pottery since then. Although the same artistic techniques have been renewed in each pottery, the styles have changed within the years. In 450 A.D, the Moki, the Hopi word for the peaceful ones, developed the first attempts of pottery after meeting the Mogollon Indians. Thick-walled, gray, undecorated pottery began to appear within the Hopi community around 400 A.D to 700 A.D. Kana-a and Second Mesa were black on white pottery styles that emerged during the time period of 700 A.D to 1000 A.D. These consisted of geometric shapes, such as triangles, lines, bands, and scrolls. Soon three and four color polychrome pottery began to develop during the 1300s. The most praised era of the Hopi pottery is called the Sikyatki Polychrome; the following forms were the Payupki, Polacca, and San Bernardo polychrome styles. These consisted of black on red, black and red on white, red, and black on orange colors. Although colors of the pottery have changed, the shapes of these vessels have not evolved. Bowls, jars, are the two typical shapes of Hopi pottery. Others include vases, canteens, pitchers, plates, seed jars, and effigies . There are three basic forms also: equal width and height, tall and narrow, and short and wide. Most Hopi pottery have rims that are curved inward and are typically shallow. The circumference of the midpoint of the sides of the pottery is usually the largest. In history, it was the job of the Hopi women to make the pottery. It was seen as unmanly to work with clay to create bowls and jars. However, now in Hopi communities, men are also potters. The size of the pottery now are smaller than pottery of long ago. Pottery, the only artifacts left to tell the tale of the lives of the Hopi Indians of long ago also reflect the change ...