Object

Pottery Handed Down from Grandmother’s Grandmother

Indigenous peoples of the southwestern region of the United States, many of whom lived in adobe buildings, still create distinctive pottery. The region’s longstanding pottery tradition can be traced back to earthenware produced during the eleventh and thirteenth centuries by ancient Puebloan people, the ancestors of many present-day Indigenous peoples. Among the Hopi, Zia, and Zuni, pottery is made by women, mostly in the form of jars or dishes. The clay required for making this pottery is obtained from their surroundings. The clay is sifted, mixed with water, rolled into coils, and shaped into a vessel. After being dried, a vessel can be polished with a stone and painted with natural pigments made at home. Its surface may be decorated with geometric designs symbolizing nature and animals like deer and birds.