Native American Pottery: A Potted History

The Pueblo Indians from southwestern America made some of the most interesting pieces of pottery of their time, and they were making it long before European settlers arrived. So what makes their work so unique?

Use of pottery was commonplace in the settlements of American Indians. Those tribes that roamed as hunter-gatherers found little use for pots and vessels, for obvious reasons. But where tribes settled, they made all manner of vessels.

The Cherokee, the Iroquois, the Cheyenne and the Shoshoni all took to making pottery without using a potter’s wheel, preferring to craft objects with their hands, making what’s known as ‘coil and pinch pots’.

These traditions are continued to this day, with many Native American pottery stores now publicizing their wares online. But what made the work of the Puebloan tribes so special? And why is it held in such high regard today?

It’s partly to do with location: The southwestern tribes live closest to their homelands and so have managed to preserve more of their original pieces.

That said, there are distinct forms and patterns that set pottery of the southwestern Indians aside. Perhaps most noted is the tradition of ‘black on black firing’. Pottery from Santa Clara is noted for its example of both black on back and black on red firing – the black coloring coming from the firing process, when oxygen is forced out.

Equally, their work is known for its color. So you’ll discover huge variety in form presented in rich clays: Hopi pottery is noted for its yellow clays, while Zia pottery is recognized from its use of red clays – the individual tribes using whichever clay they had in their regions.

Successful potting needs an altogether different skill-set than is found in most modern jobs. So why not introduce a friend or relative to the art with a gift certificate?

After a few pottery lessons they may even present you with double-spouted vase, a classic design of the southwestern American Indians.