Tony mindling on tue 1 oct 02
Oaxacan Clay Workshop. Saturday, Day 7.
Eight Deer Tiger Claw used to rule the lands we'll be traveling through
today. He was a firm and ruthless Mixtec king who held together a broad
federation of city-states. But you won't need his permission to travel into
the Mixtec highlands today. Eight Deer T.C. retired about 1,500 years ago.
Land's Dry Go North rules the highlands now.
Our destination is a tiny gathering of houses on the edge of a barren hill
on top of the world. From here, eroded yellow, red and white soil stretches
off in sharp ridges in all directions, spotted with thick oak woods. This
place is called Linda Vista Tonaltepec. Linda Vista meaning Lovely View in
Spanish and Tonaltepec meaning Summer Hill in Aztec, or alternatively, Hill
Scorched by the Sun. It depends on the day.
Among these houses live the last of the Tonaltepec potters, and we will
spend the day in their silent world seeing how they make their endemic water
jugs.
Again we will see similarities to the forming process we learned in San
Marcos. But, as each village has its spoken dialect, so too does it have it'
s technical dialect, for you will see that there are as many differences as
similarities in the two forming processes.
And here on the sun scorched hill we will get to revel in the potters
delight: fire and smoke. Celso and Cecilia will fire up the stone kiln and
torch a load of pots. It is immensely satisfying to watch fast wood firings.
The kiln is opened topped, and at the end of the firing two large bundles of
dried oak leaves or pine needles are dumped onto the sooty black, top level
of pots to give them the extra boost of heat needed for maturity.
For a moment the fire is smothered by the sudden covering. But then it
catches its breath and exhales a great plume of yellow-white smoke tall into
the sky. If it were the U.S., borate bombers would be called in to quench
the fire. But this isn't the U.S., not even close. Finally the leaves burst
into flame and consume the smoke, and just as quickly burn down. Then the
potters rush in and attack the kiln with long sticks.
Suffering the heat of the red hot kiln, they pluck the pots out of the kiln
one by one and set them, at the end of the long sticks, at the feet of a
couple of helpers who are standing ready with old rags and a bowl full of
brown water.
This brown water was prepared five days ago from the boiled bark of certain
oak trees in yonder forest. It is a tannin dye and it is squeezed and
dribbled over the pots using the wet rag. It bounces and steams on the hot
pots like spit on a January woodstove. The final result is a pot with wild
brown streaking marking its beige clay body.
Why do they do this to the pots? I'm not telling, you'll have to come along
to find out.
Oh yeah, there'll be a home cooked Mixtec lunch as well, with hot tortillas
and fresh beans.
For more info drop Eric a line rayeric@RNET.com.mx or take a peek at
www.manos-de-oaxaca.com.
Session 1: Feb 2-10, 2003
Session 2: March 16-24, 2003
Short Course: December 15-21, 2002
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