What Is a PUKI and How Is It Used To Make Pottery?
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- čas přidán 9. 06. 2024
- Learn what a puki is and how it its used for making hand built pottery. The puki is an important tool for making Southwest style pottery.
- New Mexico Clay pukis can be ordered here nmclay.com/puki
- Get my free lesson "how to make a puki" by signing up for my email list here ancientpottery.how/subscribe/
\\ Lots more information including video based lessons are available on my website at ancientpottery.how
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Hi. Andy. I just made a puki from my pond clay, which has turned out to work beautifully. I made it over a 6" rubber ball with a damp paper towel between. I'm really happy with how it came out. I also made two clay scrapers on the ball so they have the same radius as the puki. Haven't fired them yet. I have fired sample test tiles of my clay. They came out very well. Chomping at the bit to make my first pot. I have 45 years, combined, experience as a sculptor- artist. I hope this and your great videos help with my new endeavor. Michael
That's awesome, progress. Glad to be giving you some inspiration, I'm sure with your experience you will do great.
This is the best pottery channel on the internet. Thank you for your work. I hope I get to meet you some day.
Wow, thank you! Maybe one day we will meet in the forest, Del Bosque.
I can't watch this video without giggling, because I'm a Malaysian and P*** is a profane word and trust me I found your video when I searched ancient pottery. Thank you also to justify the Malay word in your video & I like your pottery video.
Thanks. It is funny that it can mean such different things in different parts of the world.
Thanks for all the interesting videos. One idea that came to mind while watching was to use a balloon to mold the poki. Easy to vary the size by inflating/deflatinfg. Gathered some clay today for the first time, thanks for the inspiration. Greetings from Sweden.
Thanks for the tip. One time, years ago I did use a large ballon to make a puki.
Hi Andy got my puki's yesterday thank you, they are awesome, very well made. Thank you
This was very interesting information. I never heard of this before. Very cool content.👍🏼
Thank you again Andy for the great video! You've really helped me get back into pottery after a long break. Thanks!!
You're welcome. I'm glad you are able to get something from my videos.
Hello Andy, I'm so excited learning from you're channel. Thank you 🥀
I am glad you are enjoying my content. Thanks for watching.
Thanks Andy for these videos. I am sending your site to my students. The history of the Anasasi pottery traditions so well researched. Thank!
Wonderful! Thank you.
Thanks so much. Love your videos. Very informative.
Glad you like them! Thanks
Runs off to search house cupboards for anything that might be good enough for use as a Puki. Loving your videos. Thank you. 🤗
You’re welcome 😊
That made me chuckle. I was sitting here eyeing various items on my shelves and also thinking of what I've seen at the local artisan markets in Cuenca (Ecuador). Scavenger hunt!
I know this is an older video, and probably not monitored, but those perforated holes look a lot like the forms used for starting the base for basket weaving. I grew up in Northern New Mexico, and learned from a Pueblo native back in the 80s. Not saying this is what that is, as the ones we used were wood, but it is very very similar.
Thanks for the pointers!
You are welcome.
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Hey Andy, my guess for those holes in the pookies is that they may serve as valves to help release that suction that sometimes appears when you put pressure on something and it doesn't gets air inside, just outside. Sorry if my grammar isn't the best as I'm not using any translator and I'm mexican.
And maybe it is Also used to drive out moisture.
I have heard that idea suggested before, it may be.
@@AncientPottery the even holes probably help to release by increasing the surface area and speeding up the wicking and evaporation of moisture away from the rim
Oh the light cover is so brilliant! I have large old cheese cloth I could use!
Thanks, yes, that would work
Thank you
You're welcome
Hi, I'm from Malaysia, that's right, in Malay, Puki refers to female genitalia and Pukis refers to a kind of cake in Malaysia😆. Btw, I'm one of your fan, I love your channel.💜
Thank you. Yes, I get a lot of views on this video from Malaysia, I suppose they are all disappointed.
very helpfull tool
kaolinwasher yes, thanks
Oh my god I'm not letting it dry long enough before I fire it! Thank you! I'm going to get it lol
You got this!
I was seeing basket weaving base or support for hide bladder. Potters plaster is better to make molds. It can be bought in bulk. Make a mold with clay or paper clay then pour plaster around that. It is a good way to work.
Plaster works fine, I prefer earthenware because it is traditional and it is "eating my own dog food" so to speak.
I'm from Malaysia, that's right, in Malay, Puki refers to female genitalia and Pukis refers to a kind of cake in Malaysia😆. Btw, I'm one of your fan, I love your channel.
Thanks
As a malaysian potter this video was very enlightening (and amusing 😂 I was giggling like a kid who laughs whenever they hear “boobs”)
Funny. Glad I could make you laugh.
As Malaysian Also, this not wise chose of word
@@syahrulfauzi6344 ???
@@jasmine950804 you know lah
@@syahrulfauzi6344 what do you mean by “not a wise choice of words”? Malay is not the only language that has the word “puki” in it and in the video it refers to that small bowl used as a base for pottery
Hi Andy, You were talking about the holes in some of the perforated plates that have been found, Here in Alabama when a person died, their pots would be broken or holes drilled into them to release their ( spirit ).
Maybe those people did that so their pukis would be spirit free or they belonged to a potter who had passed away.
perhaps
You are really great Andy, I am enjoying you videos so much, and also I want to say that a some point I laughted very hard, didn't know anything about the word...
Glad you enjoyed it
@@AncientPottery Hey Andy, I tried to subscribe to your web newsletter via email but nothing happens...
Could the holes be for depression string design, or registration marking for weaving basket pot holders after the pots are fired?
Thank you for this interesting info, maybe the holes are to prevent cracking in drying? Or to mark the start of a linear design for painting? I guess we will need to talk to the spirits😌🕊✨✨✨✨
Punki also means when a baby “lets air out “ a parent will say “ ohhh...you made a Puki?:) interesting how languages change and evolve😁in any case it’s a lovely word that fits the object perfectly✨
I have and use pukis with and without holes and notice no difference in drying.
THANKSGIVING
Thanks
I am from Singapore where the Malay language is spoken. My pottery group had a good laugh over your puki post, especially how you had many hits for the post! But we found the post useful and have made a few *beep beep* for ourselves!
I think that if the holes were to release the vacuum there would be more of them toward the bottom. Michael
Agreed.
My thought on the holes is the possibility they might have been used for a basket top or even perhaps textile. These dys you see wood and other materials used for the same purpose.
I have heard the same from a well know archaeologist, so this is a good idea. I would think that “use wear” studies could prove or disprove this idea.
If I'm using a non-porous puki, instead of a handkerchief, I use a piece of old T-shirt. I dampen it like you do, but because it is stretchy it makes it easier not to have any wrinkles in it.
This is also a quick-and-dirty way to make cover sherds that have just the right amount of curvature--I flatten out a piece of clay, flip one of my largest kitchen mixing bowls upside down, drape a wet T-shirt over it, and slap the clay on it and shape it a little. It shrinks a little as it starts to dry, and once it is leather-hard I can just flip the whole kit-and-caboodle over, lift off the mixing bowl, pull off the T-shirt and let it finish drying. (Yes, I put it on the outside of the mixing bowl, not the inside.)
Thanks for sharing.
Just a guess but it might help reduce suction for wetter clays, so you can remove it or shift the pot around. Some shovels are made with holes in them so the wet dirt doesn't stick as bad.
Good analysis. I use pukis with and without holes and have not noticed a difference but other potters may work wetter than I do and therefore have different problems.
Perhaps the holes were put there to put dry grasses or wicker for baskets through etc.
Perhaps but I don't think archaeologists have so far found any evidence of something being attached through the holes.
Could you show us how you make these and can you make flat ones with a rounded base? Just so it will still rotate. So fascinated have never seen this method before 😃😎
Take my FREE class on how to make a puki here ancientpottery.how/courses/how-to-make-a-puki-without-really-trying/
@@AncientPottery Thanks for the information just such a simple item but can save hobbiests like myself a looooooot of money
Well, I stand corrected then :P I thought the holes were for even spacing when decorating, to use as a guide when starting a pattern.
Really nobody knows for sure, anything is possible.
Maybe you can put twigs through tne wholes to support a pot wall. Im going to try this with bamboo skewers next chance I get.
My clay is pretty strong but I have definitely used clay in the past that could use some extra support.
I was thinking the holes in the puki could have been an easy way to make marks in the bottom for even spacing for decoration. There is a shot in the video where the puki stacks are in front of a pot sitting in a puki with black and white blocks of color which made me think of this. (At about the 9:50 minute mark where it transitions to where to buy them)
Maybe
I will weigh in on the possible reason tge holes are in the pukis. They could possibly be used to make marks for aligning radially spaced decoration on the pits being made. Just a thought. 🤷🏻♂️
It's possible, thanks
Andy I love your story telling way of doing these videos. Interesting about the meaning of PUKI, glad I found this video again before I startet searching. Do you also fire in a KILN? i live in Germany so many of my possibillities here are different from what you teach, also I don´t seem to find so many videos... I do find it cheaper to go the natural way, would have loved to have more different slip colour possibilities. Like your Yellow pot...wonderfull colour to combine with browns and reds. Well anyway...Im still learning,
o and i do have a question. How do you price hand made, pinch pots? Do you recon it by hour or how do you go about pricing.
I usually fire outdoors in an open fire but I do have a little primitive kiln that I use occasionally. Here is a good video about firing options czcams.com/video/ztLn3BsYuJ8/video.html
Pricing is tricky. I put a lot of time into my pottery, collecting and processing the raw materials, hand building, small batch outdoor firings, etc. I price high because I don't make that many pots anyway and I can afford to wait for the right buyer. Look at the pricing of Native American pottery for some price comparisons.
@@AncientPottery thank you great video!!!
Not sure how large you really want to go, but I've used 20 and 30 quart mixing bowls for different projects that offer an enormous base. They can be had for ~$25 on Amazon from the brand Winco if memory serves (I'm sure there's others, but they had the best selection and price at the time, few years back). Coincidentally I had a few spares and have used them frequently for 'off label' things more than what I'd thought; especially when the kids get sick vis-a-vis upchuckus receptacles with a garbage bag liner for frequent fliers. Bet that was a popular historical use for pots, too, though again not intentionally! 😁
I've always wondered about the use of the little holes in puki's as well, and the suction relief from a practical point right at the rim seems fair, though you'd think if that's what it was really for, they'd be strategically placed from rim to basin. Maybe in relation to allowing air ingress to aid in drying (?) or as you said, one person did it and was frequently successful way back when, so it became traditional. As I'm thinking about this further, I'm wondering it wasn't a release agent/aid for whatever was being molded to make the puki itself, like maybe a perfectly shaped river rock or a hammer-formed vessel. Hmm, enquiring minds indeed...
Wow, 30 quarts is 7.5 gallons, that would make a pretty dang big pot! I think you are overthinking the puki holes, I have used a few of these and I have looked at quite a few of the ancient ones. Those holes had no practical application.
Hi, Andy! Do you stack the pukis in a pile when you fire them, or loosely overlapping one another ?
No, air circulation is very important in an open firing so stacking pottery up like that will often result in pottery that is not properly fired. Check out this video, czcams.com/video/sAERJi3XRoY/video.html there are some pukis being fired here and I stacked them leaning against a rock or another pot so hot air could get all the way around them.
Could the puki holes be so to make for easier release during the shrinking process. Or also to allow even airflow around the clay as it drys?
Perhaps. Although I have used pukis with and without holes and see no difference.
You are the Tony Hillerman of pottery!
That’s a very nice compliment, thank you.
Maybe the purpose of the holes is to help break any vacuum between the clay and the puki?
Could be.
Perhaps the holes are there to be able to lace leather on to the clay bottom. Like a bag.
Could be
Andy,
Why do they make the bottoms of the pots rounded instead of flat?
Thanks!
Good question Donald. A flat bottom makes sense to us because we have tables and counters and shelves where a flat bottomed pot will sit neatly. But if you don't have those things and all your pots sit on the ground, a round bottom is easy to set on the dirt with the top level no matter if the ground is level or not. Also when putting a pot over a fire to cook it is much easier to level a round bottom over three rocks than to make a flat bottomed pot level. Finally, a round shape is a much stronger form than a flat bottom.
I've seen like 12 Andy Ward videos now and this was the first one with a joke!
Jokes are more appreciated when they are rare.
Could the holes be used to weave basket around the pot either before or after molding to impress the pattern? It’s pretty common practice and adds strength to green ware.
I've never seen that done in the SW but who knows. These were used over 600 years ago and a lot can change in that time.
Was the practice of weaving on the ceramics done in central north America? If so it could have been learned via trade routes
ANDY : COULD THE HOLES BE FOR PAINT ALIGNMENT ON THE POTS ? LIKE TONY USED THE SMALL DOTS ON THE RIM FOR LAYOUTS.
I have heard that mentioned. I would like to see someone try this.
You talked about the website traffic of people looking for the Malaysian puki and being disappointed to find the pottery tool instead, but imagine looking for the pottery tool and finding images of Malaysian pukis. I think I would have been shocked and confused if I stumbled across the Malaysian one without knowing it was a possibility.
Would a wood bowl work well for a puki?
LOL truly. Yes wooden bowls work great
I'm wondering if the holes are there to aid the release of the pot from the puki. They would allow air in as you start to pull it away.
Could be, do some experiments.
Yes holes will assist for extra air which is needed white removing the pot from puki.
@@Kavitha.D.K Thanks AGAKI. I thought it made sense.
The Holes around the bottom are for cords wich hold up the pot like a basket somehow they must have done this and it held the pot , try it
Could be, it needs to be tried
They are their to help the jar dry and separate from base and prevent the puki from cracking from so much usage
if you go one step farther with that idea. support two vessels using the puki as a base and cords to hang it, now you can carry two vessels with a small pole through the cords and across your shoulders, and when you need to set it down the vessel is protected. more efficient way of carrying a larger amount of water or goods.
@@oldugly9295 even if that isn't a traditional method, it would make a good "modern" utility to an ancient design.
I think those holes were for cordage at intervals to aid in designs and different angles following along the cordage.
I know this isn't pottery related but what kind of glasses do you wear?
Shuron Ronstrong in this video, they didn't hold up well so I recently got something different.
Wouldn't the holes cause the pottery to dry faster at the rim, making it easier for the pot to release?
maybe
Could it be the begining of a reed basket?
Good idea but it appears that nothing was passed through the holes
Wouldn't the holes in the pukis make it easier for the clay to dry around the edges and allow the piece to release from it more easily? They could, at the same time, prevent any kind of vacuum problem preventing easy release of the item. Just wondering...Really love your channel; new subscriber. Maybe I'll find the answer in more recent videos :)
I have heard this idea speculated before. I can only say that I do not have this issue myself (clay getting stuck in the puki) but everybody works differently. I once had a student who got the clay stuck in her puki so good it didn't come out until the next day. Maybe do some experiments with this and see if it makes a difference for you.
@@AncientPottery Thank you for the reply! Maybe I should do a little experimenting, as you say. All kinds of factors could be involved. Fascinating. I also need to watch the rest of your videos, too, I think. Thanks for all the info you bring.
That's exactly my guess.
What if the holes are used to stitch a thread around the perimeter of the puki, and attach beads or other items that create indentations/patterns on the base of the finish pots? The size of the holes are small enough to accomodate a fine thread of some kind vs ventilation holes?? Just a guess! :-)
Could be. Try making one and doing this. The photos would be great to see.
i am pretty sure the holes in the Puki are for easier release of the wet Pot ! it tends to stick the most around the rim ... so air can get under the clay and it lifts up easy...i saw a few with holes in the rim and in the middle ... would be even more efffective for easy release !
Perhaps... I have pukis both with and without holes and have not noticed any difference in performance.
@@AncientPottery thank you for taking the the time to answer ... pitty .. was just a guess ...
Any chance they could have been using them when levitating clay on a small scale.
Doubtful.
Do we know why they preferred round bottom pots to flat?
Yes, round bottoms are stronger and more easily leveled over an open fire and on uneven terrain. I will be making a video to answer this question soon.
@@AncientPottery Thanks very much!
Malaysians aside, as an American I was giggling too. Where/when I was growing up, pookie (pronounced the same) was slang for a crack/meth pipe.
Oh, I never heard that before.
I thought the holes in the puki were for laying out your pattern for decorating.
Could be...
Made my own Puki with a glass globe from a light fixture, just have to drape a moist old t-shirt over the globe and paddle clay over the globe, release it when it's leather hard then fire it out and boom you have a puki.
Excellent, good work.
I think the holes are to make it easier to release the pot you are making.
Could be.
Can you make a video on how to make a puki?
LOL, did you watch this video?
@@AncientPottery yup
Man it's so frustrating, my pottery keeps breaking in my fires rather quickly. Ugh... I'm going to keep trying..
Dry it completely and pre heat like crazy
Maybe the holes were made to help the pottery piece to dry faster??🧐🙏🏼
Maybe
Why the holes?
Never mind lol
Nobody knows but I guess you figured it out.
Video title: "Puki"
SE Asian Viewers including me: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Anyway good video, i like it
LOL
Looks like a gourd bottom
The bottoms of gourds are not round and smooth like this, they have dimples in the middle.
@@AncientPottery It depends on the gourd and the dimple can be smoothed.
Gourds would ware out quicker than pottery but would be absorbent. It would be interesting to see if there are any older pots with a dimple or signs of one being filled in. Many pots have gourd like shapes. I can see how one might inspire the other.
Ok I am gonna build one and I will invent a German name for it.
LOL, good idea.
ask any Filipina
Didnt know this was a real word. Let alone Malaysian too. I thought puki was a pet name. So i feel silly
😐
PUKI means Pussy to us lol
Pookie is a character who is addicted to crack cocaine, on “New Jack City.”