Ada Suina
Cochiti Drummer
Circa 1979
8 1/4" H
x 6 1/2" W x 7 3/4" L
Ada Suina is probably the
finest traditional Cochiti potter active today. She represents
the transition from the earliest period of Cochiti storytellers
in the mid-1960s (shortly after their "invention" by
Helen Cordero) and the more recent stylized sophistication of
potters like Virgil Ortiz.
As the popularity of storytellers
exploded over the past three decades, numerous potters in virtually
every pueblo developed their own unique style based on the original
concept. Ada, probably more than any other potter, has remained
true the the original style as defined by Helen Cordero.
One serious problem facing
Cochiti potters today is the lack of the cream-colored slip used
for the background color on traditional Cochiti storytellers.
For many decades the potters from Cochiti had purchased this
slip from Santo Domingo potters because the site for the slip
is located on Santo Domingo land and known only to a few of the
potters from that pueblo.
In recent years however, the
clay used for the cream slip has begun to run out and Santo Domingans
will no longer sell any of it. Fortunately for Ada, she purchased
the remainder of Helen Cordero's slip at the time of her death
and thinks she has enough for the balance of her potting career.
In a productive year, Ada
probably manages to make one storyteller a month due to the painstakingly
slow methods she uses. To her, each storyteller is really like
a child and its sale is a painful experience. Were it not for
economic need, Ada would probably still have every piece she
ever created.
