Jeri Redcorn facts for kids

A Caddo pot made by Jeri Redcorn in 2005, now at the Oklahoma History Center.

Jereldine "Jeri" Redcorn, born on November 23, 1939, is a talented artist from Oklahoma. She is famous for bringing back the ancient art of Caddo pottery, a skill that was almost lost. Her amazing work helped revive a very important part of Caddo culture.

Jeri Redcorn's Early Life

Jeri Redcorn was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 23, 1939. Her father was from the Caddo Nation, and her mother was from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Jeri grew up in Colony, Oklahoma, on land that belonged to her Caddo grandmother, Francis Elliot.

Her tribal name is Bah-ha Nutte, which means "River Woman." She finished high school in Colony. Later, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. She then went on to get her master's degree from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Bringing Back Caddo Pottery

Discovering Ancient Caddo Pots

In 1991, Jeri Redcorn and other members of the Caddo Cultural Club visited the Museum of the Red River in Idabel, Oklahoma. There, they saw hundreds of very old Caddo pots. These pots were made long before Europeans came to America. Even the elders of the Caddo tribe had never seen pottery like it before.

Jeri Redcorn shared how exciting that day was. She said, "That day we were so excited that we decided as a group, as a tribe, we would learn how to do it and make Caddo pottery once again." This moment inspired her and her community to bring back this lost art.

Learning Traditional Techniques

Jeri's brother taught her the basics of making pottery by coiling clay. This is a method where you roll clay into long ropes and then coil them on top of each other to build the pot's shape. It was very difficult for her to learn other important techniques, like burnishing and engraving.

Burnishing makes the pot's surface smooth and shiny by rubbing it with a hard, smooth object. Engraving involves carving designs into the pot. Jeri worked hard to master these traditional Caddo methods.

How Jeri Redcorn Creates Art

Since 1991, Jeri Redcorn has been experimenting and teaching herself how to make pottery using traditional Caddo methods. She uses the coiling technique to shape her pots. For decoration, she carves designs into the clay.

She uses tools made of metal or bone to carve ancestral Caddo designs onto her pots. Instead of using a modern oven called a kiln, she fires her pots by hand. This means she uses traditional methods to heat the pots, which makes them hard and durable. To add color, she rubs red clay into the carved designs, making them stand out.

Where to See Her Pottery

Jeri Redcorn's beautiful pottery is displayed in several public collections. This means her artwork is in museums and institutions where many people can see and appreciate it. Some of these places include:

• Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
• Oklahoma History Center
• Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center
• Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History

In 2009, the First Lady of the United States at the time, Michelle Obama, even displayed one of Jeri Redcorn's pots, called Intertwining Scrolls, in the White House. This shows how important and recognized her artwork is.

Jeri Redcorn's Family Life

Jeri Redcorn was married to Charles Redcorn, who was an author from the Osage Nation. They lived together in Norman, Oklahoma. Charles Redcorn passed away in 2017.