Pottery in the Contact Zone :: Essays Papers

Pottery in the Contact Zone It is nearly impossible to discuss Native American art without taking into consideration the effect that western culture has had on it. Native American art, in its purest sense, is something that no longer exists. In its place is an amalgamation of an art form that was once completely Native American and the values that western culture has placed on that art form. This cultural phenomenon is what Mary Louise Pratt has termed the â€Å"Contact Zone† which is used to refer to the â€Å"social spaces where cultures meet, clash and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power such as colonialism, slavery or other aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world.† (Pratt 34) What Pratt is referring to is the situation that is created when two completely distinct cultures, that operate on totally different levels, attempt to interact. Each culture brings with them certain values and traditions that the other may not e ntirely understand. This predicament often leads to confusion, misunderstandings or sometimes worse. The meeting of western and Indian cultures created exactly this â€Å"Contact Zone† situation that Pratt defines. The aftermaths of the situation have been both positive and negative and have simultaneously posed a threat to the art form while providing opportunities for the artists. Before contact with the western world, pottery making among the Hopi-Tewa Indians was a communal activity which served to strengthen social relations with tribal members not of the same family. Pottery thus objectified valued social relations where sharing with individuals not of one’s matrilineage was both important and necessary for households to functions. (McChesney, 13) As with most Native American tribes, the Hopi-Tewas strove to maintain a strong social network by dividing up the labor and working together to accomplish it. Immediately the differences can be seen between the social structure of American Indian cultures as compared to that of westerners’ which value individuality over community. With the introduction of the railroad to the areas of northern Arizona where the Hopi-Tewas lived, entered new social challenges that threatened the Native Americans’ lifestyles. In an attempt to operate in an American cash economy, many Native Americans began to make pottery to be sold in trading posts to collectors and tourists.