Onondaga Nation – On October 11th and 12th, 2022, the Onondaga Nation School (ONS) was visited by renowned potter Peter Jones, Onondaga Beaver Clan. Peter Jones was able to provide a history of Onondaga and Haudenosaunee pottery while the students created their own traditional pots.
Peter Jones explained to the class how important pottery is to us.
“If you look at where we chose to live,” said Jones. “We picked places that had two things; fresh water and clay. We need both to drink, cook, and survive. This is why we picked this place to live.”
The week before Mr. Jones’ visit, the ONS eighth grade class went hiking deep into the woods where some of the Onondaga clay deposits are. The students then carried buckets of clay back from the woods to the school.
“This is like gold,” said Jones when he examined the clay.
After showing the students the properties of the clay, Peter Jones remarked to the students. “You have to treat this clay like it is your mother… because it is. This clay is a part of Mother Earth and a part of us.”
Back when Jones was a young person growing up, his elders used to tell stories of the last person who was still making pots the “old way.” So, when he had the opportunity to go to an art High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he went.
When Jones was there, he was able to learn from the western potters on their methods to make pots. Since that time, Peter Jones has been a leading force in the resurgence in traditional Haudenosaunee pottery.
“There were only 5 of us at the school from our area,” Jones explained. “There were two Mohawks, two Senecas and myself who went to school at that time. And ever since that time I have been making pots.”
So, for the past 60 years, Peter Jones has been creating beautiful pots. When asked how many pots he has made, he replied with a laugh, “Too many to count. But I usually make about 10 pots a week.” 
To begin making new pots, Peter looked to what our ancestors made in the past. He brought out a box of “shards” to show the students old Haudenosaunee pottery.
“I learn a lot from these shards,” Jones told the class as they examined the feel and designs on the pieces. “These shards that you are touching now are over 600 years old. Not only can you see the designs they used, but they also show the different kinds of clay that were used and the different techniques they used to make their pots.”
Under Peter Jones’ guidance, the eighth-grade students began building their pots. Just like their ancestors, the students used tools such as leather, rope, antler, corn cob, and bone to shape their pots.
“We all learned from our ancestors,” said Jones “Just like these kids today, they are learning how these tools can be used to make our pots. We stopped making pottery in the 1500s when1 we could trade for the more durable metal pots. It is good that these kids are learning again.”
Judging from how engaged the students were, they learned a lot.
