Unknown Ohkay Owingeh Potter

At Ohkay Owingeh, the making of pottery nearly died out until a group of women came together in the 1930s and decided to revive it. First they had to define what made Ohkay Owingeh pottery Ohkay Owingeh pottery. Thankfully, someone on the pueblo had recently stumbled across the remains of a pueblo that was abandoned in the early days of contact with the Spanish. Several intact pieces of pottery were found in the ruin and those formed the basis for the definition of Potsuwi’i pottery, named after the prehistoric village where it was found.

Once these seven women potters felt their definition was complete and they began making that kind of pottery themselves, they also began signing their pieces. Most Ohkay Owingeh potters have since been signing their pieces, but not all.

Before the 1930s, no one at Ohkay Owingeh signed their pottery.