Native American Pottery Research Paper

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Pages: 4

Karlie Elliott Ceramics II Ms. Waack May 16, 2024 The History of Native American Pottery Native American tribes were full of resourceful, creative minds and the way art and pottery was used by Indigenous people centuries ago was no exception. Many can date back to the origin of Native American pottery to the southwestern portion of the United States. What started out as functional bowls and other equipment would soon turn into gorgeous forms of art and powerful storytelling tools. The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at how ceramics play into the history of Native American people. The review will be about how ceramic pieces were made, the history behind the development of these pieces, and how Native tribes had specific styles …show more content…
At this time there was no real systematic rule of design, however, just like everything else this would evolve. “By the end of Basktemaker II, painting styles had slowly begun to exhibit more organized patterns of design elements” (Conner 2008). Stylization trends grew throughout a new period of time known as Pueblo I (A.D. 700-900). During this time civilization would become more complex causing advancements in forming, painting, and firing techniques for clay. As symbolic decoration grew, so did the uses for pottery. Pottery is now used as a social and religious tool along with being used for utilitarian needs (Conner 2008). One thing that makes Native American ceramics so special is the fact that each ceramic piece, or style, is unique to each tribe. There are currently 574 recognized tribes in the United States, but the native population was once much bigger. Imagine each community having their own artistic language, yet being connected through a single medium. Black on black designs were most common to the Pueblo Indians. The Hopi people were known to use rain clouds, animals, and other celestial object designs on their pieces (Butterworth,