Pueblo
pottery signifies a reciprocal relationship between humans and clay, which is
considered a sacred gift from Mother Earth. Before gathering clay, permission
is asked, a prayer, and an offering are given to the Earth. Nuch-ochu-quijo,
Unripe-earth-old-lady, then joins the potter in the creation process to form a
new being, who takes its form as a pot (Naranjo 1994). This process is
reflective of Pueblo peoples’ cosmic view of the world (Naranjo 1994).
The
relationship between gifts and reciprocity is described by Robin Wall Kimmerer,
Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology at SUNY, in The
Gift of Strawberries from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,
Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (2013)and The
Service Berry: An Economy of Abundance. Kimmerer defines gifts as “goods
and services” received from the Earth (2022). Because the Earth is a common
resource, owned by no one, her abundance is shared, a process Kimmerer terms a
“gift economy” (2022). When a gift is received, it emotes gratitude; the response
is to give in a gift in return (Kimmerer 2022). This reciprocal exchange creates
a relationship and ensures the continuation of the gift economy, whose value
increases in the multiplication of shared exchange and whose currency is
gratitude, reciprocity, and relationships (Kimmerer 2013). The gift economy
creates a system in which its renewal is dependent on the recipient’s inherited
responsibilities to reciprocate the gift (Kimmerer 2013).
Because
clay is sacred, a gift from Mother Earth, there is a reciprocal relationship
between the potter and pot. The pot functions as a container that holds the
necessities for human life. The gift economy of pottery is regenerated through making
pots communally and giving them away as expressions of gratitude. This
relationship between pot and potter symbolizes the gift economy is traditional
teaching inherent to Pueblo peoples and many other Indigenous communities.
In
contrast, a violation of the gift economy is the market economy (Kimmerer
2013), in research, this economy serves to benefit the individual (Gazing Wolf
2024). The market economy model removes the sacred relationship between Pueblo
people and clay (Naranjo 1994). Because the research is contingent on a gift
economy, the content and presentation of the research must also respect the
spiritual relationship between potter and pot and presents a new inquiry into
environmental stewardship.
So how
does the research process participate in a gift economy? As a gift recipient,
how do I as a researcher give back to the community, directly and indirectly?
And how do I ensure that the research respects the sacred relationship to clay?
Throughout
the research process, I have been given many gifts: insightful conversations
over coffee, pottery demonstrations at the kitchen table, garden fresh green
chiles, and invitations to dances, feast days, and holidays, just to name a few.
In return I have baked pumpkin bread (whose origin story is a gift of a gift of
a gift), gifted jam, and made donations to grassroot organizations that benefit
communities. These exchanges have created a community around the research and
simultaneously inform the research process.
One way the resource process is informed through a research community is the integration and reciprocation of shared knowledge throughout data collection. A community approach invites participants to contribute as collaborators. This entails incorporating the community’s concerns, interests, and feedback throughout the research process (see Gazing Wolf 2025, 2024 for additional information). Like yarning (see Rofshus 2025, Yarning: An Indigenous Knowledge Approach to Ethnographic Methods with Heritage Lands Collective), the research then follows threads of discussion that are important to the research participant during the interview process. After data collection is complete, the results are shared with the community and their interpretations are incorporated into the analysis and research findings (Cantley 2024). This collaborative process also includes accreditation to research participants as contributors in publications and presentations and ensures the community is involved in methods of data dissemination (Gazing Wolf 2024). Because these relationships with the community create a regenerative exchange, my responsibilities extend beyond imposed deadlines and timeframes (Gazing Wolf 2024). The fundamental relationship of gratitude and reciprocity is community building; thus, my responsibilities also include participation in community events, which serve as a form of social accountability. In this way, gift economies become regenerative through the potential for future collaboration.
Tribal engagement with Heritage Lands Collective at Bears Ears National Monument. Being in place with Tribes is one of the many gifts I’ve experienced this summer. Photo taken by Joseph Gazing Wolf
Gazing Wolf, J., Simmons, E.,
Blanchard, P., Jennings, L.L., Ignace, D.D., David-Chavez, D.M., Smiles, D.,
Montgomery, M., Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills, R., Nelson, M.K., Doan-Crider, D.,
Black Elk, L., Black Elk, L., Bridge, G., Chischilly, A.M., Deer, K.,
DeerinWater, K., Ecoffey, T., Vergun, J., Wildcat, D. and Rattling Leaf, J.
(2025), A path to Reconciliation Between Indigenous and Settler–Colonial
Epistemologies. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment e2847. https://doi-org.yale.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/fee.2847.
Gazing Wolf, J., Ignace, D.D.,
David-Chavez, D.M., Jennings, L.L., Smiles, D., Blanchard, P., Simmons, E.,
Doan-Crider, D., Kills, R.P.S.-S., Montgomery, M., Nelson, M.K., Black Elk, L.,
Black Elk, L., Bridge, G., Chischilly, A.M., Deer, K., DeerinWater, K.,
Ecoffey, T., Vergun, J., Wildcat, D. and Rattling Leaf, J. (2024), Centering
Indigenous Knowledges in Ecology and Beyond. Frontiers in Ecology and
the Environment, 22: e2776. https://doi-org.yale.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/fee.2776.
Carine Rofshus – Western Resource Fellow | Carine is a Master’s in Environmental Science Candidate at the Yale School of Environment. Her research focuses on the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and cultural resources stewardship through working with Indigenous communities in the U.S. Southwest. She is particularly interested in the relationship between traditional ceramics processes and the environment as place-making practices. Carine currently serves as a NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act) Assistant for the Yale Peabody Museum. Prior to Yale, Carine worked as an archaeologist for a native-women-owned small business dedicated to hazardous waste clean-up on Tribal, Federal, and Department of Defense lands. She has extensive experience on the Navajo Nation in addition to Arizona, Colorado, Guam, New Mexico, and Utah. Carine is a former National Park Service Cultural Interpretation volunteer for the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. She holds a BA in Art History from St. Olaf College and attended the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Field School as a National Science Foundation Fellow. In her free time, she enjoys backpacking, figure skating, and watercolor painting. See what Carine has been up to.
