Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Taupou, post: 267952, member: 45&quot;]Some background to the wedding vase form:</p><p><br /></p><p>The story of the &quot;wedding vase&quot; is just that...a story.&nbsp; It&#039;s a bit of made-up nonsense designed to help sell souvenirs to gullible tourists.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wedding vase form is thoroughly documented in references, most recently in the book &quot;The Native American Curio Trade in New Mexico&quot; by Jonathan Batkin.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was actually designed by John Candelario, an early Santa Fe curio dealer. He took the idea to Santa Clara potters and had them make the design to sell in his shop.&nbsp; He added the invented story and the name &quot;wedding vase&quot; to help sales.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The first Santa Clara &quot;wedding vases&quot; were made in 1900, but the idea quickly spread to other tribes and it became an iconic Indian pottery souvenir. Some Indian potters believed the story enough to repeat it as the truth, and now it&#039;s repeated endlessly on line. But there are no documented wedding vases dating earlier than those commissioned by Candelario.&nbsp; And no documented tribal wedding ceremonies using anything like a &quot;wedding vase&quot; prior to Candelario&#039;s imaginative tale.</p><p><br /></p><p>And now there are wedding vases sold in Southwest tourist shops...made in China.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in