Rubert Angea is from the Tohono O’odham tribe in southern Arizona.  His a son of Joe and Felistia Angea and his mother taught him to make pottery when he was twelve.  He is the only male potter in the family who makes pieces on a regular basis.  His sisters Gladys and Juanita also make pottery.  The Angea family began making pottery when Joe Angea of South Hickiwan married Felistia from Kaka (Quail) Village.  Felistia learned pottery making from her mother, Constance.  When Felistia moved to South Hickiwan she continued her pottery making using the local white clay.

This shape and design of this bowl represents a social round dance called, “Nawoj Hah’ah”.  It represents a social dance in which Indian and non-Indian alike are invited to participate. It has come to symbolize the strength that comes from unity of purpose in a community. First made by Rupert Angea, in the late 1970’s, they are now made by both the Angea Family and the Manuel Family of Hickiwan Village.  They are the only ones who make this type of O’odham pottery.  The clay is dug from a deposit near White Horse Pass.  The red paint is hematite and the black is from the sap of the mesquite tree, which is also a traditional food source (the seed pods, not the seeds) and provides the wood that is used to fire the pot after it has been painted.  The bowl is signed on the bottom.