aʔkwaⁿdaʔtsǫⁿgyaʔ—We All Made Pottery: A Wendat Perspective to Ancestral Wendat Pottery Making

Abstract

Abstract This article investigates ancestral Wendat pottery making in southern Ontario through the Wendat perspective of Sǫhahiyǫh, a Wendat potter. Our study is based on eyewitness accounts of Sǫhahiyǫh making pots, along with detailed photographs and his own artistic reflections on his gestures related to all stages of pottery making. To create a detailed description that sheds light on ancestral Wendat potting communities and their practices, we investigate the entanglement of material interactions, personalized embodied knowledge of a highly skilled potter, and Wendat practices and beliefs. Our research provides an enhanced understanding of ceramic traditions and demonstrates the opportunities that arise from building relationships with Indigenous community members and centering Indigenous perspectives to study past material practices in the Lower Great Lakes region.