Early Kumeyaay/Tipai Painted Ollas - Ceramic-Pictograph Rock Art of the Kumeyaay. Collection from the Imperial Valley Museum. D Stretch Rock Art on Ollas. Kumeyaay Rock Art. Olla Rock Art. San Diego - Imperial County Rock Art.

For those of you that missed the August 4th meeting of the San Diego Rock Art Association, Ken and I had two separate photographic record sets of ollas that were embellished with painted designs.  This is somewhat uncommon.  It is estimated that only around 5% of all ollas have such designs.

Ken had a collection of photographs from the archives of the Museum of Man which included many examples of ollas discovered in the context of archaeologic studies or excavations.  What was so compelling about those ceramic pieces was that their designs were similar, in some cases, to pictographic elements found in rock shelters or other wilderness localities.  Ken was able to locate several specific examples of this in panels throughout Kumeyaay territory.

In contrast, the collection below includes a few selections from the archives of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo.  This museum has changed dramatically from the first few lean years into a beautiful and air-conditioned sanctuary for desert archaeology.  The history of this collection indicates that these pieces may have been made for collectors or tourists, perhaps during the Depression Era.  Both Ken and I have heard directly from Kumeyaay women that Tipai basketry and pottery were nearly always marketable and could be exchanged readily for necessities as food and clothing.

Since we were on a schedule at the museum, we were unable to photograph all "sides" of each olla.  Certainly there are many unique designs that I have not observed in collateral pictograph or petroglyph panels within the area.

Out of curiosity, I manipulated some of these images using D Stretch in order to attempt to enhance the patterns.  It worked well in most cases.  Because of the nature of the clay texture, I would recommend very low settings in D Stretch along with minimal contrast enhancement.  Dstretch courtesy of Jon Harman.

We had a very interesting evening and I want to thank all the people who stepped up to help and for all the good camaraderie.

One very significant announcement was made that SDRAA will be taking over the management of the Museum of Man annual rock art symposium from this year forward. This can be a wonderful opportunity for us. If you would like to help, please contact us through the main web page of SDRAA.  While there is some work to be done, your participation can mean so much to retain and expand this globally attended event.  It will be better than ever and a lot of fun.

From the archives of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in Ocotillo - see you next time!
Photos copyright Imperial Valley Desert Museum. Do not duplicate without permission.

Don Liponi, 2014