#native pottery

“Maria Martinez, the famous Potter of San Ildefonso pueblo examines one of her pottery treasures“, 1976.

(as per usual, all these posts are collected under the KyidylCL tag)

Pottery and shErds

So, what are we talking about today? Well, I think the next thing is gonna be pottery.  This is where we’re gonna talk about time, space, and dating a site.  Because most people think that the only way to date an archaeological site is via C14.  That’s not true, and actually we don’t always do it.  C14 dating can have some problems, including that the wood used in the fire is likely older than the time in which it was cut down and burned.  It also only goes back 50,000 years, so anything older than that won’t have any carbon isotopes (it’ll have all decayed), and we have to use other things that are more expensive.  And c14 testing itself is expensive - we sent in 2 samples and it was around $500/sample so we spent about $1000 on testing.  Instead, there are other ways to date a site and one of the most accurate is pottery.  

See, like all other kinds of material culture (AKA, stuff people leave behind.  Non-material culture is like...song and story and stuff like that.), pottery follows stylistic trends and trends in how it was made.  And it does this both regionally and chronologically.  Which is great, because if we find bits of one type of pottery we know is made in one place in a settlement in another place, then we know the two people traded with each other.  But I have to explain something else so that determining a date from pottery makes sense.  

Every area of the country has what’s called a “type site” for a given period of time.  In undergrad I was lucky enough to actually get to work on the type site for the Safety Harbour period, which is Weedon Island....ironically enough there’s a Weedon Island period and Weedon Island isn’t the type site for that period so uuuhhh...yeah it’s weird lol.  Anyway, a type site is a site that is considered stereotypical for a given time and place in history.  Usually they’re large and well-preserved, and they’re often the first sites found in that time period/area (but not always, which is how the above weirdness happened.). And so what happens is we dig ‘em and analyze the finds and do testing on those finds.  So now we know “hey, this kind of pottery comes from here and it is X years old”. Now you know when you find it in other places where and when it comes from.  This is all a very generalized explanation, but I think any more is like extraneous detail you don’t need.  Just know that things like type sites help us determine where and when stuff like pottery was made.  Lots of literature usually exists for type sites, but I actually can’t remember the type site for this area for this time period.  

We also use a term called “diagnostic”, which is used much as it is in medicine.  If we find a certain thing that was only made during a specific time period or in a certain place, then it’s diagnostic.  IE, a certain kind of pottery is diagnostic of the late, middle, or early Woodland.  The pottery we have at our site is diagnostic of the late Woodland.  Some of the lithics we thought might be a bit earlier, but honestly I think that was just misidentification by the site director bc we were in the field at the time.  Lastly, identifying pottery has a few components.  Color and decoration I think are easy to understand (they didn’t have glazes, but you can make different colored pottery by varying the composition of the clay and the temperature at which it is fired.). Paste and temper are the other two.  IDK how modern pottery is made, but old ass pottery is made with paste - the main body of the clay, the matrix that contains the temper - and temper. Temper is stuff they’d crush up and mix in to help it not break during firing and heating during normal use.  So we combine these factors to ID the pottery and thus the age of the site and trading habits of the people in question.  One last thing you need to understand about pottery - ancient people used pottery the way that we use disposable things.  They didn’t think it was like an important thing that had to keep safe.  They’d use it until it broke and then toss it in the garbage pit and make a new one.  So it’s really common and we find it all over the place, but TBH in the future pottery *won’t* be diagnostic anymore because our ceramics come in such a wide variety that we couldn’t possibly hope to narrow down time or place.  

Alright, so who wants pictures? You, of course.  Who *doesn’t* want pictures? Here’s some of the pottery we found: 

This is the larger shard that I found in the features I’ve talked about in previous installments.  You can see where I accidentally broke it. >.> Anyway it’s kind of unique bc of the light color outside and the black inside.  It’s like...idk, 4 or so inches long.  

This is a rim piece that I happened to find two matching sherds of.  I always check the rim pieces because the patterns on them usually make them easier to fit together.  Honestly I’ve got hundreds of pot sherds from this site and I don’t have the sanity to try and make pots from them.  

This is the outside and inside respectively of the largest piece we have.  TBH taking this thing out of its box and handling it makes me nervous because of how large it is - about the size of my hand, but I did include my earbuds for scale.  The black is charring from both firing and subsequent use, and it came out of the pit feature I’ve been talking about.  And do you wanna know the cool thing about the inner surface of pottery? Because they didn’t use glazes, the surface was porous and retains the unique chemical traces of what was made in them.  However, the vast majority of the time those kinds of tests aren’t done because archaeology as a whole is extremely underfunded and trace chemical analysis of pot residue is an expensive test requiring expensive equipment and expensive scientists.  Funnily enough I probably could do some of this testing bc I used to be premed and so I’ve taken a lot of chemistry and know how to read a mass spec thing, but I don’t have access to the chemicals or tools to do these kinds of tests.  Plus, they’re often destructive...which....I mean...there’s so much pottery that it doesn’t really matter if one piece gets destroyed but like you do still have to be careful *which* piece you destroy.  

Anyway, you also can see the striations on the outside piece, and that’s decoration on the pot.  It probably also helped with gripping it.  This is a piece of Shepardware, which is diagnostic of the late Woodland period in the Shenandoah valley. Here’s some more cool pottery: 

This is a random assortment of the kind of stuff we regularly pull out of the ground when it comes to pottery.  The most common kind we have is the orange on one side black on the other (3 upper rt pieces), whiteish (upper left 2), orange on both sides (lower left 3) and totally black (lower right 3).  All of ‘em are some variety of shepard or pageware.  You can see the texture on a lot of them, too.  We have a good mix of textured and untextured, and that’s why the composition of the pottery is more diagnostic than the decoration.  Frankly, people can and will put whatever design they think looks cool.  But they made that particular design by wrapping twine around the end of a flat stick and pressing it into the surface of the wet clay.  I also chose those two upper right pieces because they have really visible temper.  Here’s a side shot of one of them: 

You can see how big the bits are compared to my fingers (yeah, there’s dirt under my nails....I haven’t taken some tweezers to them yet after working on the car.). And...wait, I WAS going to try to describe this to you but then I was like “no, they deserve better” and I broke out my DSLR and my macro lens and took some pics.  Here are some macros of the temper: 

The white balance is a little off on the top one...the bottom one is more true to color (they aren’t the same piece of pottery, but they are a similar color).  So you can see that it’s crushed up limestone.  Pardon the depth of field on those...I had to open the aperture pretty wide to get one that wasn’t blurry bc I don’t exactly have bright lights in my room.  

Anyway....so that’s the pottery we’ve gotten at the site and what we can learn from it.  It’s going to take some time before we can start determining patterns and whatnot in regards to style, but we do have some evidence of trading here because some of the pottery we have is from the piedmont culture....

...wait, let me explain what that means.  When archaeologists need to describe a group of people who existed in a given place in a given time based on similarities in material culture regardless of ethnic and social grouping we call it a culture.  This is different than the standard meaning of the world culture, or even the way a cultural anthropologist would use the word.  So when I say the piedmont culture, I mean people that lived in the general area of the Piedmont plateau during the late woodland.  They were of varying tribes, languages, etc.  And we do this to describe the extant boundaries of cultural influence of particular trends in physical objects and not the social groupings of the humans in question.  So, for example, lots of people are familiar with the Clovis culture.  When archaeologists use this term we mean “these are the boundaries of the places we are finding physical objects in the group we’ve named Clovis” not “everyone in this area was a Clovis person”. Like no, obviously, they weren’t.  There were tons of social groups, tribes, etc. that were all distinct and different.  It’s a way of mapping cultural influence via physical objects to see how far they spread and who was using them.  

So, we have some piedmont stuff despite not being in the piedmont area, so we know that they were trading with those natives.  If you’re interested in more detail here, this is the VDHR resource I use for IDing pottery.  It looks like it came to visit you from the late 1990s, but the info is good and it’s easy to use. 

The artistry of Native American pottery has been admired for centuries, representing a rich blend of cultural heritage, craftsmanship, and storytelling. Across generations, Native artisans have created pottery that serves both practical and ceremonial purposes, preserving traditions that continue to inspire collectors and art enthusiasts today. Among the most iconic creations in this artistic legacy is the Native American wedding vase, a symbol of unity, love, and commitment that remains highly valued in modern times.

From beautifully painted vessels to intricately crafted ceremonial pieces, Native American pottery offers a unique connection to Indigenous history and artistic expression. Each handcrafted item reflects the skills, beliefs, and traditions of the communities that created it, making every piece a meaningful work of art.

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For thousands of years, Native American tribes have used pottery as an essential part of daily life. Long before modern manufacturing methods existed, artisans carefully gathered natural clay, shaped vessels by hand, and decorated them with symbols that reflected their environment, spirituality, and community values.

Different tribes developed distinctive pottery styles that remain recognizable today. Pueblo, Hopi, Acoma, Zuni, Navajo, and Santa Clara potters each contributed unique techniques and artistic traditions to the world of Native American pottery. Their creations often feature geometric patterns, natural motifs, and symbolic imagery that tell stories passed down through generations.

Today, collectors appreciate these pieces not only for their beauty but also for the cultural significance they represent.

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The Native American wedding vase is one of the most beloved and recognizable forms of Native pottery. Traditionally used during marriage ceremonies among several Southwestern tribes, this unique vessel symbolizes the joining of two lives into one shared journey.

Its distinctive design includes:

Two separate spouts

A central bridge or handle

A single chamber connecting both sides

During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom drink from the vase at the same time. This ritual represents trust, harmony, and the commitment to support one another throughout life.

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Collectors and art enthusiasts are drawn to Native American pottery for several important reasons.

Exceptional Craftsmanship

Many pottery pieces are handcrafted using traditional methods that require patience, skill, and attention to detail. Each item is unique and reflects the artisan's expertise.

Cultural Significance

Every piece of Native American pottery carries a connection to Indigenous traditions and heritage. The designs often communicate stories, beliefs, and historical influences that have been preserved over generations.

Artistic Beauty

From polished blackware to intricately painted vessels, Native pottery showcases a wide range of artistic styles that appeal to collectors and decorators alike.

Long-Term Value

Authentic pottery created by skilled artisans can become treasured heirlooms and valuable collector's items that are appreciated for years to come.

Traditional Techniques Used in Native American Pottery

One of the reasons Native American pottery remains so respected is the dedication artisans bring to traditional pottery-making techniques.

Hand Building

Many Native potters use coil-building methods, carefully shaping clay by hand without relying on mechanical equipment.

Natural Materials

Artisans often gather clay and pigments from natural sources, creating pottery that remains closely connected to the surrounding landscape.

Hand Decoration

Patterns and symbols are applied by hand using brushes or traditional tools. These decorations often reflect tribal identity, nature, and spiritual beliefs.

Firing Methods

Some pottery is fired using traditional outdoor techniques, producing unique textures and color variations that cannot be duplicated through mass production.

These time-honored methods help ensure that each piece of Native American pottery remains a one-of-a-kind work of art.

The Enduring Popularity of the Native American Wedding Vase

The Native American wedding vase continues to be one of the most requested pottery pieces because of its meaningful symbolism and elegant appearance.

Many couples choose a wedding vase as:

A wedding ceremony keepsake

A wedding gift

An anniversary present

A family heirloom

A decorative centerpiece

Its graceful design allows it to complement a variety of home décor styles while serving as a lasting reminder of love and unity.

Decorating with Native American Pottery

Incorporating Native American pottery into your home can add warmth, character, and cultural appreciation to any space.

Popular display ideas include:

Showcasing pottery on mantels or shelves

Using decorative vessels as centerpieces

Displaying wedding vases in living rooms or entryways

Creating a dedicated pottery collection in glass cabinets

Pairing pottery with Southwestern-inspired décor

Whether displayed individually or as part of a larger collection, these handcrafted pieces bring timeless beauty into any environment.

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For those seeking beautiful pottery inspired by Southwestern traditions, Cedar Mesa Pottery offers a selection of handcrafted products that celebrate the region's rich artistic heritage.

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Cedar Mesa Pottery is known for offering decorative pottery, wedding vases, and Southwestern-inspired creations that appeal to collectors, gift buyers, and home decorators. Their pottery reflects a deep appreciation for traditional craftsmanship and timeless design.

Whether you are searching for a meaningful Native American wedding vase or an eye-catching piece of Native American pottery, Cedar Mesa Pottery provides options that showcase artistry and cultural inspiration.

Preserving a Timeless Tradition

The continued appreciation of Native American pottery helps support the preservation of traditional artistic practices that have been passed down for generations. By choosing authentic, handcrafted pottery, collectors and enthusiasts contribute to the recognition and celebration of Indigenous craftsmanship.

The enduring popularity of the Native American wedding vase demonstrates how traditional art forms continue to resonate with modern audiences. These symbolic pieces bridge the past and present, connecting people to a heritage rooted in creativity, community, and respect.

Conclusion

The story of Native American pottery is one of tradition, artistry, and cultural pride. From functional vessels to ceremonial treasures like the Native American wedding vase, these handcrafted creations continue to inspire admiration around the world.

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