BOOKSHELF

BOOKSHELF THE PUEBLO STORYTELLER: DEVELOPMENT OF A FIGURATIVE CERAMIC TRADITION, by Barbara A. Babcock and Guy and Doris Monthan. The University of Arizona Press, 1615 East Speedway, Tucson, AZ 85719. 1986. 215 pages. $40, hardcover, plus $1 postage.

At least since the late nineteenth century, many people have been fascinated by the ceramic art of the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest. Old historic pieces and prehistoric vessels-the latter, unfortunately, obtained illegally by vandals who desecrate ancient ruins-today command high prices. The art form, of course, has changed through the decades. Once a utilitarian object intended for the family of its maker, a typical piece of Pueblo pottery today is produced mainly for a burgeoning collectors' market.

Among the most recent and innovative of such pieces are examples of The Storytellerclay figures of seated women and men, gathering numerous clay children on their legs, arms, and shoulders. While they represent a relatively new and flourishing genre in Pueblo art, they also celebrate an aspect of traditional Pueblo life.

Long before storytellers were made, there was a Pueblo custom of producing figurative forms of ceramics dating back, at least in the village of Zuñi, to late prehistoric times. These included animals as well as humans, in a variety of usually conventionalized forms.

The authors and photographer of this beautifully produced book begin with an accounting of this figurine tradition as it has been uncovered archeologically and historically throughout the Southwest. Interestingly enough, from shortly after the opening of the historic era in 1540 until late in the nineteenth century, apparently no clay effigies were produced. Then, primarily for the early tourist trade, a number of New Mexico Pueblo potters began to make clay images, many of birds such as owls, and even some "grotesque" forms, often in imitation of non-Indians, including opera singers!

The Storyteller, however, was the invention of the noted Cochiti potter Helen Cordero in 1964. The authors recount how she conceived the idea from memories of her grandfather and how he gathered his grandchildren around him to tell them stories on long winter evenings.

While Helen Cordero, the acknowledged doyen of the storyteller genre, was the originator of these effigies, she also sparked a lively revival, and the form now is being produced by more than 200 Pueblo potters, mostly in a traditional way. "storyteller" mammals, birds, frogs, But there also are and turtles.

The first part of the book also includes a detailed discussion of many of these artists, along with illustrations of their work. This should enable the collector virtually to pinpoint the origin of any figure.

Those are the parts that will interest most readers. But for the avid collector, the remainder of the book lists all Pueblo storyteller artists with their dates of birth, date of the first storyteller made by each potter, who taught each one, and the names of other potters in their families. There is also a list of storyteller potters grouped by their pueblos.

Refreshing notes, a good glossary, bibliography, and index add to the value of this volume. It is an important addition to the ever growing literature of Pueblo Indian art. -Reviewed by Robert C. Euler, Arizona State University

JOURNEY TO THE HIGH SOUTHWEST-A TRAVELER'S GUIDE, by Robert L. Casey. Pacific Search Press, 222 Dexter Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109. 1986. 401 pages. $14.95, softcover, plus $1 postage.

Casey's volume is to the Four Corners visitor what Sacajawea was to Lewis and Clark. In its fact-filled pages, the author supplies all the essential and supplementary information one could wish for in order to enjoy a trip to this heartland of the Southwest. The guidebook reports on accommodations and other services, native crafts, history, geology, flora, fauna, and the people who occupy the dramatic Four Corners region.

The publication is divided into four sections: canyons, Indians, mountains, and the Rio Grande. A bibliography, glossary, and index are included. Casey's second edition, it has been carefully revised and stands as the finest in the field.