CULTURAL LIVING
Most people think of O’odham pottery as plain and unfinished and Piippash as red polished. But according to Ron Carlos with Cultural Resources, this is not true. “The shiny red pottery we think of today didn’t emerge until 1920-30s when traders came to the area. They were the ones who wanted color and design,” said Ron. “Before then, pottery was more utilitarian, after all, it’s hard to hold on to a polished pot, especially when it’s wet.” Traditionally, pottery was used for holding water, storing grains, cooking and eating out of. Over time when the Spanish and the Americans came, metal pots began replacing pottery for cooking. Later, when the railroads came 16 FALL 2022
