Old style Maricopa pottery by Warren Oliver. This 3” x 5” red/brown pot has a traditional black pattern around the top third of the pot.
In 1970 Maricopa potter Mabel Sunn was documented as saying “Nobody knows about Maricopa. Maricopa are always lumped together with the Pima, and they call Maricopa pottery Pima pottery. But Pimas don’t make pottery now.”
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.
About the artist
Warren Oliver
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.
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.
