Papago (Tohono O’odham) Pottery Friendship Vase [SOLD]

Most pottery of this tribe was and is made by women, however, in the Angea family of potters there were a couple men who produced as well.  The Angea family began when Joe Angea of Hickiwan Village married Felistia of Kaka Village and they eventually had ten children.  Felistia was a potter and continued making pottery using local clay and materials and she taught four of her daughters and two sons to make pottery.  Their son Rupert is the only male to continue making pottery and his brother James only made it occasionally. The daughters continued and taught grandchildren as well.  Both Joe and Felistia passed away in 1987.

Since members of the family mostly signed their pottery only with the name Angea, it is generally not possible to determine which family member made individual pieces.  This vase is signed RA which would indicate that it was made by Rupert since he is the only family member to use his initial.

The friendship vase represents a social dance and all are invited to join.  It is a creation of the 20th century as it has not been found in 19th century Papago pottery records.

The Tohono O'odham reside on a government-created reservation in Arizona with some members living across the border into Mexico.  Their previous name, Papago, was placed on them by the Spanish Conquistadores who misinterpreted the name the Pima Indians called them-- Ba:bawĭkoʼa, meaning "eating tepary beans," which was pronounced Papago by the Spaniards.

Condition:  the vase is in original condition with a slight abrasion on the underside where a piece of tape was removed.

Provenance: from the collection of Katherine H. Rust

Recommended Reading: Papago Indian Pottery by Bernard L. Fontana, et. al. University of Washington Press, Seattle. 1962