Chase Kahwinhut Earles didn't grow up immersed in Caddo culture. Like many Native youth, his father had moved away from the tribe to pursue education and better opportunities. But through his journey into Caddo pottery, Earles has not only reconnected with his heritage, but helped bring his family back into the cultural fold as well.
"This is my connection back," Earles reflects. "Me reconnecting reconnected them as well."
Earles' path to becoming a nationally recognized Caddo pottery artist was not a straight one. After studying animation in college, he worked in web design and programming for years. But something was missing.
"I did feel like there was something missing culturally," he explains. "I knew I was Caddo, and I knew I was Native American, and I was interested in that, but I didn't really have any access to the tribe or the culture."
Growing up in Oklahoma City, Earles had no exposure to Caddo art or culture. This absence of cultural identity left a void that he would later fill through his art. "There was not one single mention of the word Caddo in any of the education that I had growing up. Period." Earles recalls.
A vacation to the Southwest reignited Earles' artistic passion, inspiring him to try pottery. But as he began creating Pueblo-inspired pieces, he realized something wasn't right.
"I was like, well, there's something wrong. I'm not going to copy Pueblo pottery, that's cultural appropriation," Earles recounts. This realization led him to research his own tribe's pottery traditions.
What he discovered amazed him. Caddo pottery, with its distinctive brown coloring and intricate designs, rivaled any Native pottery tradition. But it had been largely lost to time, relegated to archeology and museums.
Determined to master this art form, Earles reached out to Jeri Redcorn, who had begun revitalizing Caddo pottery years earlier. Redcorn's guidance was invaluable. "She showed me how she makes her pots, she showed me her process," Earles explains. "But what she gave me that was more important was where to look, where to look for what is Caddo pottery? Where to look for what is Caddo cultural identity?"
With this foundation, Earles embarked on a journey to truly understand the craft from the ground up - literally. He dug his own clay, just as his ancestors had done, and immersed himself in learning about Caddo culture and history.
"I reached out through my family, which is through my grandparents' family, into the tribe with Aunt Doris and Miller's and then all people that she knew, and started trying to talk to them," Earles shares. This connection to family and elders became crucial in his journey to understand and master Caddo pottery.
Through this process, Earles gained a deep appreciation for the unique qualities of Caddo pottery. The southeastern clay and mussel shell temper create a distinctive medium. The shapes - from water bottles to effigy vessels - have subtle but recognizable Caddo characteristics. And the designs, while often abstract, carry deep cultural meaning.
"The interlocking scrolls...that was told to me by elders, is rolling water symbology, and to the Caddos, that rolling water also means the cycle of life," Earles shares.
As he mastered traditional techniques, Earles began to realize that being a Caddo artist was more than just a career choice - it was his purpose in life. "It was immediately my whole entire purpose in life. So, it all fell there. Some people think, I don't know what my meaning or I don't know what my purpose is, but for me, this is it. That's awesome. That is it. It's obvious, no matter what, this is what I'm going to do."
For Earles, being a Caddo artist isn't about fame or personal gain. Instead, he sees it as a responsibility to contribute to his tribe's cultural heritage. "I didn't set out to be like a famous artist," he explains. "It was kind of like, I want to be an artist, because that's what I was born to be. But since I am Caddo, it is my duty to culturally represent our tribe correctly and to contribute to our cultural identity in this time that we're in."
As he mastered traditional techniques, Earles began pushing the art form in new directions. His effigy pieces, which depict animals or even pop culture figures, help make the pottery more accessible to wider audiences while staying true to Caddo traditions.
"When you look at a pot like this you can say, yeah, that's beautiful. Not sure what it means," he explains. "But if it's a bear or fish or R2-D2 from Star Wars...people relate immediately. And it draws them in. It makes them connect. It makes them want to know more, and then they want to know about the culture."
Earles' ultimate goal is to spread awareness of Caddo culture through his art. He focuses on getting pieces into museums where they can educate the most people. And he teaches classes to share his mastery of the tradition with others.
"We've reestablished our pottery tradition. It's done," he states proudly. "It can be there for Caddos that want to learn it and do it."
For Earles, pottery has become more than just an art form - it's a way to strengthen cultural identity and pride. He hopes his work will inspire future generations of Caddos to embrace their heritage.
"I think it makes them fuller. It makes them more complete," he reflects. "We've now newly reestablished something that we didn't have before. So it's growing."
From disconnection to mastery of a traditional art form, Chase Kahwinhut Earles' journey with Caddo pottery has come full circle. Through his artistry and teaching, he's ensuring this ancient tradition has a bright future ahead, while also fulfilling his personal mission to contribute to and preserve Caddo cultural identity.
SWAIA First Place 2023.
Unlike when Chase was growing up you can now see contemporary Caddo artwork in museums and exhibitions almost daily for the last 10 years. Chase Kahwionhut Earles's pottery and sculptures are in 30+ museum and gallery permanent collections all across the country, including the NMAI Smithsonian in D.C, the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, the entryway of the Capitol of Oklahoma, the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, and very soon 3 new commissioned pieces at Crystal Bridges in Arkansas.
Chase has participated in multiple national exhibitions this year show his art and Caddo culture, currently in the Autry Future Imaginaries in Los Angeles, SPEAK at the Sam Noble Museum, Roots and Reverence at the Pearl Fincher Museum, Texas, and The Future of Clay, at the Clay Studio, Philadelphia.
Upcoming demos include Caddo art and history at the Sam Noble museum, with pitfire demo, Sat. Sep. 28, at 1pm and art shows at SEASAM and Cherokee Art Market in October.
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