Article DetailsThe History of American Pottery |
| Date Added: September 19, 2007 01:52:20 PM |
| Category: Arts: Art History |
The History of American Pottery
In our modern world filled with gismos and gadgets most of us still have a great appreciation of the fascinating art of American pottery, be it an intriguing clay figure or a stunning clay vase. The captivating beauty of American pottery tends to ground us. But do you know the history of American Pottery?
Long before mankind’s history was documented, American pottery was already a craft. In fact, archeological digs have found settlements dating back to 25000 B.C. These digs have uncovered pottery works belonging to the North American Native Indian populations of that era. Amazing!
But then again one would expect to find pottery pots since the people of those eras would have used clay pots to store fat, seeds, and foods, and even to hold liquids. The potters in the Indian villages throughout the US created a variety of decorative styles on their different pot shapes. In the earliest days, these pots were handmade and very utilitarian.
Initially these pottery and clay pots were handmade and very utilitarian. During this period, not much thought was given to their artistic style of the pots. These pots were a basic round shape with pinches, coils or indented points.
As time went by the potters of the tribe began to make Indian pots with interesting decorative designs. Many times these designs were made of signs and symbols; however, the North American Indians were not forthcoming with the meanings of these symbols. Often these symbols were important to the tribe and privy to only member of the tribe.
Those bits and pieces of pottery that remained safe under the soil for centuries has allowed archaeologists to determine the origins of many pieces of American
Indian potters from different Indian tribes would trade their wares but archeologists weren’t fooled, as they were able to determine which pots were native to the area and which came from somewhere else.
The American pottery of the earliest times was very thinly made so many were broken during the firing process, hundreds of thousands of pot pieces found themselves buried. This is another reason why archeologists have been so successful.
The Navajo cultures are truly timeless, today still using the same symbols and designs that their ancestors used centuries ago. Many of the pieces found are identified by archeologists as belonging to the Navajo. That’s because many of the other native cultures faded away by the twelfth century. Today the Navajo and Pueblo remain strong.
The Pueblo Indians are still a very secretive people that work hard to preserve the rituals from the past that are so important to their tribe. They still create clay vessels that are used for storage in their homes as well as selling these vessels. Their people have been dated back over two thousand years.
One trait of Navajo pottery that has been around for centuries and is still used is the thin layer of pinon pitch that is applied to the inside of the pottery
Early Navajo pottery was different from pottery of other tribes. They coiled, pinched, and then applied a unique treatment. Before the pot had cooled, a thin layer of pinon pitch was applied to the inside and outside of the pot giving the pot a distinct aroma.
Even today Navajo potters mix several clays together to obtain varies aesthetic qualities. Modern Navajo pots are still fired outside one at a time on an open pit filled with juniper wood, and they are still coated with pinon sap. The symbolism of the past and the traditional designs still adorn the modern Navajo pottery and are these beautiful pieces are easily recognized as Navajo.
American pottery has a rich past dating back centuries. |