Volume 18 Number 1
October 1978

Leona M. Zastrow

Some of the well-known Pima women who have helped make basketry the art of their people are Ruth Giff, Marcela Brown, Frances Peters, and Madeline Lewis. Their home, the Gila River Indian Reservation, is located south of Phoenix, Arizona. The roots of their craft can be traced to their prehistoric ancestors, the Hohokam. They feel that the designs woven into their baskets with devil’s claw or the martinyia plant evolved from the petroglyphs of the Hohokam. Their knowledge of traditional designs and excellent techniques are sources of personal pride.

Several weeks are spent each year in picking and preparing the raw materials for weaving baskets. The cattails and willow are ready for picking in early spring. Often the entire family will help. Young children learn very early the work necessary for having good materials for weaving. After the materials are picked, they are cleaned, dried, and stored until the weaver is ready to coil a basket. Coiling, or the use of the tight stitch, is the traditional weaving technique used.

The weaver begins the basket by joining together several pieces of moistened cattail, wrapping them with willow, and twisting them into a circular center. Using an awl, she then proceeds to weave circular coils one upon another by piercing holes and pulling willow around the cattail coil. Slowly the basket is built and designs of black devil’s claw are added at the discretion of the artist. Good weavers complete the basket by doing the last row in the black devil’s claw, which adds to the design and strengthens the basket.

The Pima women in this study are all more than 50 years old and have woven baskets since they were little girls. Interviews revealed that they were taught at about age eight by their grandmothers. All learned by watching and asking questions. They began to weave by learning to coil on a basket already started. Later they learned the harder techniques of beginning the center and finishing the outer ridge. These are the same teaching techniques these women have used in teaching the members of their families or other members of their tribe. All have a feeling of pride and take responsibility in teaching their granddaughters and other Pima students how to weave. They realize that the continuation of their ancient craft will depend on their teaching the love, beauty, designs, and techniques of this art to others.

Another group of people who live in the Sonora Desert, southwest of Tucson, are also basket weavers. The Papago women who weave baskets continue their ancient art form mainly for economic survival. One of the weavers, Mary Miquel, interviewed by the researcher, indicated that she weaves to sell baskets in order to support her family. She sells to traders who come to her home. As is true of most Papago weavers, she is willing to create new designs and innovate her work to please the demand of the market. Therefore, instead of doing the time-consuming tight stitched baskets, many weavers (as does Mary) do the split stitch because they can weave more baskets in the same time.

This techinque of weaving baskets is sometimes called the "lazy squaw" stitch because the coils of the basket are left open and the inner material, beargrass, is exposed. The coil stitches are not next to each other but spaced to create a design with the green of the beargrass and the white of the yucca. Mary indicated that the beginning of the basket is the most difficult. She begins the tight or split stitch baskets by braiding six pieces of yucca into a square. Coiling begins by using the awl to piece the yucca center and adding coil stitches to create a circular coil and eventually, the basket.

When Mary does the tight weave, she likes to weave the butterfly designs (as on woven plates), or baskets with lids. In her own words, Mary said, "I made a living on baskets because there is no work around here and it is something to hold on to."

As do the Pima women, the Papago women pick and prepare all the raw materials for weaving their baskets. Children become part of the picking party and learn at a young age when and how to pick the yucca and beargrass. They also share in the responsibilities of cleaning and storing the materials. Many of the weavers were taught by their grandmothers in the same manner as the Pima women. Mary remembers weaving her first basket when she was eight years old, and she has taught her daughters in the same way. She also teaches weaving in the Title IV andVII programs for the local school district, and in 1978 taught a workshop at the Texas Tech Art Department.

Another teacher and artist of the Papago people is Laura Kermen. Laura began her career in the early forties teaching English to the preschool Papago children. Her interest in art, especially pottery, came later in her life. She began working with clay, learning from her great-aunt how to do the water jugs and bean pots. Using the paddle and anvil techniques, Laura learned to build the large pots for which people travel miles today to buy. She pit-fires these pots with mesquite wood.

The anvil in making Papago pottery is either an old pot or a circular shaped rock. Wedged clay is pounded over the object with hands or a paddle until the desired size and thickness are obtained. After the beginning shape dries, it is turned over and coils are added. The final shape of the pot is determined by using a rock anvil inside of the pot and pounding the outer coils with a paddle.

Learning to love the clay and deeply loving the legends of her people, Laura decided to use her clay skills in another way besides doing the large pots. Why not tell the old Papago stories in clay so all will remember the old ways? She began making figures and animals of clay to tell the legends. The University of Arizona has a collection of her story-telling clay people and the recording of Laura telling the stories.

She has done workshops internationally, sharing her love of the clay. Yet, her greatest joy is teaching the little Papago children in the elementary school. Her greatest desire is to see her own people carry on the Papago tradition of clay. A visit with Laura Kermen leaves the visitor marveling, wondering, refreshed, and renewed at this inspiring teacher.

Many of the American Indians of New Mexico are called Pueblo Indians. They settled along the banks of the Rio Grande after migrating from pre-historic ruins as the Puye Cliffs and Bandelier. Women who live in the villages of Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, and Acoma are described here.

It appears that the first record of canvas painting and two-dimensional pictures of the American Indians began in the Pueblo of San Ildefonso in the early 1900s. Encouraged by Dr. Edward Hewett, the director of the American School of Research in Santa Fe, the men of the pueblo and one woman, Tonita Pena, painted pictures of their village life. Normally the women made pottery and the men painted the designs on the pottery, or did ceremonial paintings in the kiva. For Tonita Pena to paint pictures then was a departure from the traditional role of men and women. She became a symbol for other Pueblo women who wished to be painters. Two of them are Mrs. Jerry Cruz Montoya and Pablita Velarde.

Both of these women came under the influence of the art studio developed by Dorothy Dunn. According to literature, Miss Dunn established the first formal art program for American Indians. Her program of studio training began at the Santa Fe Boarding School in 1932. When she decided to leave the school in 1938, her students continued her program. Mrs. Montoya became the art director and continued in that position until 1962. Because of her directing and teaching art programs, she may be the first American Indian art educator as that title is defined today. Her time today is spent helping various Pueblos establish art coops in their villages.

Pablita Velarde has continued her study of painting and is known as one of the foremost American Indian women painters. Her interpretations of tribal scenes, dances, and her graceful use of designs are characteristic of her work. A type of fresco with textured sand is part of her style.

The Pueblo of Acoma is nationally known for the delicate, beautifully designed pottery. One of the potters, Mary Lewis Garcia, is working hard to continue the excellence of this pottery tradition. Learning from her mother, Lucy Lewis, Mary considers it her duty to teach her children and others from her Pueblo. Priding herself in using all natural materials, Mary and her family gather the clay and slips necessary for making Acoma pottery. Many hours of preparatory work follow as Mary cleans the clay and slips before she can coil even one pot. Mary says of her work:

"I, myself, when I make some pottery, certain types of pottery which I never tried, and when my mother comes and says, ‘Oh, that’s beautiful!’ it makes me feel good to have somebody compliment me, especially my mother."

She sees the need of teaching the traditional arts of Acoma in the schools because so little is being taught in the homes.

David Young, art director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools, indicates very few formal art education programs are taught in schools for American Indians in the Southwest, and there are fewer still American Indian art educators. One of the few is Marie Askan. Marie is a member of the Santa Clara Pueblo. She is currently enrolled in the graduate program in art education at the University of New Mexico. Marie paints, does the traditional Santa Clara black pottery, and teaches jewelry at the College of Santa Fe. As a parent she has been involved in the educational planning for her Pueblo. She is currently participating in a research project to ascertain the cultural values of her people and how they could relate to the teaching of art in the schools. Her end goal is to develop an art education model for her Pueblo.

This overview of American Indian women art educators in the Southwest seems to indicate that women have continued the role of traditional art among their peoples. It also indicates that they are teaching their children in the same manner as they were taught by their grandmothers.

What can be gained by this limited study? One can appreciate the role of the women in accepting responsibility to pass on their skills to their children. But the major contribution of this study may be to suggest that alternative solutions be sought, such as developing cultural arts programs in the schools and developing culturally based art teacher training programs. It may be the future role of American Indian women such as Marie Askan to find these alternative solutions for helping the American Indian continue their long art tradition.