Native American Pottery History
Most samples of native pottery go back only as far as 1000 B.C., when agriculture began in North America. The less nomadic lifestyle that agriculture afforded inspired the use of jars to transport and conserve water and food.
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Beginnings
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It is not clear when Native Americans discovered that fire hardens clay. The evidence suggests that when they found that heat would harden the clay that they placed on reed baskets, they started to use clay baskets instead. In addition, clay baskets and pots could keep rats and other pests away from food.
Development
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Early pots were designed to be functional. Initially, some basic scratches were made on the pots, and later painted designs were added. Eventually, different areas, and even different potters, developed specific styles of decoration.
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Method
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To this day, the potter's wheel is shunned. Small pots are formed by hand and larger ones are built using the coil system, where one strip of clay is placed in top of the other and later the piece is smoothed with water and sanding material.
Classification
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Native American pottery is divided mainly into Southwest/Pueblo and West Coast. While pottery appears to have been made in other areas of what is now the United States, the most important is the Southwest/Pueblo with 11 distinct styles.
Potters
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Some well-known potters include Vincent Aguilar, Isabel Montoya, Hector Ortega, Nampeyo of Hano, Betty B. Manygoats, Rose Williams, and Jimmy and Clara Wilson.
Interesting Facts
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In their pursuit of profits and markets, early white traders played a significant role in developing a market for Native American pottery and keeping the tradition alive.
Native American potters didn't sign their work until 1950. Until then, their style and design were enough to identify the pieces.
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