Response to Video

When watching the video I notice how similar his technique is to ours. We used a mold and filled the inside and he used a pot as his mold and put clay around it. He adds more clay by creating coils and adding them onto the edges and blending them in with the paddle.

It is hard to think about how these clay pots were made hundreds of years ago without all the tools we have and a kiln. Everything comes easily as we can buy clay ready to use. They had to find clay, often in deserts and grind the dried clay into a fine powder and tempered with sand, volcanic ash or crushed pot shards. I now can see how much work goes into the process of making clay naturally.

 He uses tools like sticks to dig up the clay and only carries what he will need for that pot. He then used a rock and a paddle to strengthen the pot. It showed how creative he, and the ancient potters, had to be to create these pots. He starts to use a similar approach that we did, using a mold in the sand to hold to round bottom, while he builds up the sides.

 In order to paint the pot, he had to find iron oxide in the desert and grind that. He does everything in a way that may have been done by the ancient potters. He does not use a kiln or even matches for his fire and uses brushes made of human hair just like they would have.

He does all of this to keep the tradition alive, and that is why he paints the pots with traditional patterns. I find it amazing that we could make these pots in one day and potentially have them completely done within a week, while his process seems to take a lot longer, he lets his pots dry for 4-5 days before painting. We do things out of convenience and entertainment while he does it for the history that is involved and keeping it alive.