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 ADA
SUINA -Cochiti Potter
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 to 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.
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