WARREN OLIVER
(b. 1964 – present Pima Indian Tribe)
n 1970 Maricopa potter Mabel Sunn was documented as saying “Nobody knows about Maricopa. The Maricopa are always lumped together with the Pima, and they call Maricopa pottery Pima pottery. But Pimas don’t make pottery now.” (Mabel Sunn was one of the most famous of all the Maricopa Indian potters, working from the 1930s till the 1970s.)
The Maricopa Indians are known for their tall neck pottery jars as well as other shapes. Warren Oliver, Pima Indian, is known for his red clay Maricopa pottery and old style Maricopa effigy figures. Warren is not Maricopa, but is influenced by his neighbors, the Maricopa or Pee-posh.
[Gila River Indian Reservation was established in 1859, and the Gila River Indian Community formally established by Congress in 1939. The community is home for members of both the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and the Pee-Posh (Maricopa) tribes. The reservation has a land area of 583.749 sq mi (1,511.902 km²) and a 2000 Census population of 11,257. It is made up of seven districts along the Gila River and its largest communities are Sacaton, Komatke, Santan, and Blackwater.]
Warren Oliver has been a potter his entire life. Having watched his great grandparents, grandparents and other relatives… he learned his craft that became his trade. His clay is sourced right in his back yard of the Gila Reservation in the Estrella Mountains and his polishing tools are various stones he inherited from his great grandparents.
All of Warren’s pots are coil-built, hand polished, pit fired in a mesquite fire, hand painted and re-fired. This is a laborious process that has been used in all of civilization for thousands of years. The red clay painting is done with ground minerals and the black painted areas are painted with boiled mesquite sap that has a more viscous property than printer’s ink. Drawing the black images, he uses a toothpick so his hand is the perfect distance from the bowl.
Warren resides in the Komatke segment of the Gila Reservation and is teaching his nieces to be potters.
