Acoma pottery has many distinctive features that allow even an amateur to tell it from the pottery of other tribes and locations. The foremost attribute that differentiates the Acoma (emphasis on the first syllable, like Yakima) pottery is the overall white color generally found on this pottery. The clay from which the pots are made, by the coil method, is a nice white color, and since the decoration on the pot is generally made using a black pigment, the basic color scheme for most Acoma pottery is black and white, making it quite distinctive.
Besides the black pigment, the Acoma potters sometimes use a terra cotta pigment to accent some areas, or for small punctuations on the basic black and white decoration. Sometimes another third color is used for this emphasis, like a turquoise or green.
The second distinctive feature of Acoma pottery is that use of closely placed parallel lines to fill in areas of the overall pattern. In some cases the shape of an eight point star is filled with the lines, and sometimes the entire pot is covered with the lines, changing direction to differentiate the star or other figure of interest. Pots that do not use the parallel lines as decoration often use a low arch motif around the shoulder of the pot. These divide the round area of the pot nicely into a rhythmic pattern.
Acoma pots may also be decorated with animals or people, including deer, bears, birds, lizards, frogs, turtles, and Kokopelli, an import from other Native American groups. The pot may be made in the shape of a bird or turtle, and the Acoma have also adopted the storyteller figurine.
As well as the Kokopelli and storyteller, the Acoma are experimenting with the Mimbres style of pottery decoration. It is plainer than the Acoma style, usually incorporating just one or two figures and simple banding around the edges of the bowl or pot. As the Mimbres style in an older one that has not been in use for a long time, it is good to see it coming into use again.
An unusual terra cotta pot with blue decoration.
The Acoma pottery has something for everyone, with the classic black and white decoration and the geometric and animal decorations. While many collect antique Acoma pottery, there is plenty of new pottery worthy of collecting and preservation as well. If you are interested in this pottery, a trip to the Acoma pueblo would be very educational, allowing the collector to learn to identify the pottery and make contact with the potters themselves. It is located in the north western New Mexico, not far from Interstate 40.
The photos on this page are by the author.
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