Brazilian Guarani Initiative
Commentary by Roxanne Swentzell

As a Native American artist working in the medium of clay, I was asked by George Rivera and Phillip Karshis at Poeh Arts to participate in a correspondence with some Native Brazilian Indians; specifically to teach some basic ceramic skills to them. Despite all the obstacles such as language, distance, and cultural differences, I felt like we had accomplished what we had set out to do…plant the seed for the Guarani people to begin making pottery again after 100 years.

There was much confusion and misunderstandings that we had to try and deal with, but the soul of the project remained intact; the encouragement of the Guarani to find ways to become more economically sustainable while strengthening their cultural heritage. Thus the pottery workshop was not only a practical and fun experience, but also a very symbolic first step to revitalization of a very old tradition of the Guarani.

I must admit that I had a very limited idea of what I was stepping into. I found myself not just being a ceramic instructor but also a representative of the North American Indian Peoples and held up as a Native American who has succeeded in making an economically viable “product” based on traditional practices… meaning, working with clay while coming from a Pueblo cultural background. Thus I became an example of the goal. This weighed heavy on me and I had wished at times that I wasn’t alone in this. But to my delight, I felt sincerely accepted and acknowledged as another Indian person by the group I was working with. They were open to trying their hands at this new but old tradition and were happy with their first pieces.

In the short period of time we had to actually work with the clay of the area, we covered an unbelievable amount. This was due to the hard work of Roque and Patricia Gonzales, who created the space, gathered the appropriate materials, made sure everyone was fed, and with Roque’s knowledge of the materials, helped to speed up the process in order for us to cover more ground in that short period of time.

The first few days were spent making small pinch and coiled pots…getting a feel for the clay. We allowed a day of drying in which Roque preheated the pots in his oven so that we could fire them in the ground the next day. Normally this would take a good week or more. We then spent the last day playing with finishes such as slips, polishing and designs. We heated and fired the pieces in the method I am acquainted with… firing fast and hot. Roque demonstrated his method of slow firing with saw dust… something I had not seen. Considering the short time and lack of experience with the local materials, we had a surprisingly high number of pots come out of the firing. I was so delighted and relieved.

I hope that this first trial will have sparked enough interest to keep this new/old trade alive and evolving. It only takes one spark to start a fire. It takes only one committed person to hold and carry on the knowledge of the way something was done. If that seed had been lost among these distant relative of mine, then I am so grateful that I could be a seed of inspiration to help re-plant a knowledge that once belonged to them as well.

Roxanne Swetzell (Santa Clara Pueblo)