Gifts of Mother Earth: Ceramics in the Zuni Tradition (SOLD)

The Zuni people have a rich ceramic tradition that is many centuries old. This catalog, written by Margaret Ann Hardin to accompany the exhibit Gifts of Mother Earth: Ceramics in the Zuni Tradition, focuses on approximately the last one hundred years of that tradition.

Drawing largely upon the great historic collections acquired in the 1880s for the Smithsonian Institution by Frank Hamilton Cushing, James Stevenson and Matilda Coxe Stevenson, the archival resources of the Smithsonian, and upon the knowledge of the Zuni people themselves, Dr. Hardin describes the function and meaning of ceramics in Zuni life a century ago and today. In these chapters she outlines how Zuni ceramics are made, their various functions in Zuni life, their symbolism and cultural significance to the Zuni people.

Dr. Hardin's studies of Zuni ceramics have been on-going since 1975. Throughout her work she has sought the advice of and has, in turn, received support from the Zuni people. As a result of her work, and the interest of the Zuni people, the exhibition Gifts of Mother Earth: Ceramics in the Zuni Tradition was organized.