Pottery Shards
Ceramics made by Native California Indians, such as the Maricopa and Mojave Indians were made from clay. The source of different clays was protected by the families of potters and handed down through the generations. The varying qualities, color, viscosity and texture, were all part of the traditional patterns and styles preserved by the lineages through thousands of years. The natural pigments used to accentuate the patterns and designs of California Native ceramics came from varying sources, dependent on the environment and resources immediately available.
Plant Pigments
Pigments were made from boiling plants and applied with brushes that were made from chewing the end of sticks like white sage in the desert areas or yucca fronds. Especially fibrous plants gave a greater surface coverage. When the twigs and leaves of Juniper are boiled, a tan yellow dye or stain is created. The longer the juniper is boiled, the more intense the color. Boiling the crushed hulls of walnuts produces a grayish brown stain. For deeper and stronger hues, boil longer. The reddish bark of Alder trees when boiled gives a range of brown, red and orange pigments. For green, larkspur and Indian paint brush can be used. The flowers of these plants can be used by themselves or thrown in with the bark or stems of the plants to give variants in color. For a lovely yellow, look no further than boiled onion skins.
Fruit Pigments
The dyeing quality of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and chokecherries are well known for staining our fingers and clothes as we pick and eat them. Native California Indians made a wonderful color palate for painting their pottery by mashing the berries and staining the ceramics with the juice. For a purple hue, use blackberry, raspberry or blueberry. For pinks and reds, use strawberries, pin cherries or even boiled currants. Chokecherries give a rich, dark brown.
Mineral Pigments
Natural Mineral Pigments
Natural pigments made from using different colored clays ranging from white, brown, red through pink were ground very fine and mixed with water to create a wash. Mixing powdered charcoal and white gypsum creates a beautiful blue. Yellow ochre, iron ore, azurite and malachite ground to a fine powder and mixed with water create a long lasting paint that harmonizes with the natural color of the clay. Rich earth colors were far more common than the brighter colors but after 20,000 years, it is challenging to determine the exact colors and resources used by the early Native California Indians to decorate their ceramics.
Related posts
Face paint minerals were found in nature.Alabama Indians, like other Native Americans, used face paint for religious, hunting and camouflaging. There were several different natural things that the...
The Great Pyramid of Giza is among the most famous structures in the world.The ancient Egyptians were masters of primitive architecture, having built some of the most recognizable structures in th...
What Is Alpha Gypsum Used For?Alpha gypsum is a common ingredient for making plaster. Alpha gypsum is made by processing gypsum stone into a fine powder and is well regarded for its strength and l...
A variety of rocks are used in building projects.Building stone, also referred to as dimension stone, comes from one of three types of rock, which occur naturally in the ground. It is important to...
Only a few ingredients are common to all beers, and generally speaking all of them are natural. While some breweries add artificial flavorings or specially process the standard beer ingredients, t...
