ABOUT THE CERAMIC VESSEL

Katsitsionni Fox is a member of the Bear Clan of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. She is an artist, curator, educator, and filmmaker whose work is inspired by Haudenosaunee culture and history. Fox seeks to investigate contemporary social and environmental issues through her work.

Regarding her work with ceramics, her goals are to revitalize the traditional craft of Haudenosaunee pottery and connect to her culture. She states, “When I’m making pots, I’m thinking all the way back to creation.” Traditionally, Haudenosaunee women gathered in longhouses to create pottery and other craftwork, transforming natural supplies into beautiful, unique designs. Craftwork production was a core part of women’s duties and a way for them to gather together and connect to the earth. The items they created usually served both practical and ornamental purposes and were occasionally used for ceremonies. The women would use the pottery they crafted to cook food over an open fire or store seeds and grain to protect from animals and pests. In addition, women were responsible for planting, tending, and harvesting the “Three Sisters”: corn, beans, and squash.

Fox’s Three Sisters Seed Pot is a reimagining of a traditional ceramic pot used to store seeds. The pot has intricate borders and a detailed depiction of a face, which is common for Haudenosaunee pottery, as many of the everyday vessels were often decorated with designs and patterns. Most important is the center region that highlights the “Three Sisters.” Haudenosaunee nations were among the first peoples to use companion planting to increase the growth productivity of certain crops like corn, beans, and squash. Through this ceramic vessel, Katsitsionni Fox communicates the importance of agriculture in Haudenosaunee culture, as well as women’s crucial role in agriculture. This piece, symbolic of an authentic Haudenosaunee seed pot itself, emphasizes the significance of Indigenous women in regenerating, protecting, and reclaiming sacred art forms for future generations. -Neva Bettinger

 

Katsitsionni Fox
Three Sisters Seed Pot, 2019
Unglazed smoke-fired hand-built ceramic vessel
SLU 2020.38
Richard F. Brush Art Gallery
St. Lawrence University
Canton, NY