Native American art forms are sundry and for many different purposes. Some art forms are meant for purely decorative purposes, while others are mean for spiritual purposes. Native American pottery is not only a wonderful addition to any art collection, it is also a beautiful representation of a deeply spiritual culture.
Historically speaking, Native American pottery was used most often for spiritual rituals. In addition to the pottery items themselves, the clay that was used to make the Native American pottery was also used in making things like masks.
The process that went into making each bit of pottery was, as it still is today, very precise. For example, women of the Native American cultures in the North East spent hours just mixing the clay that they had created from such things as bits of seashells plant materials, and sand. The next step involved creating a flat circular base for the pot, and then creating coils around that base, all the time blending each coil together. The pot would then be placed in the ground, brush and wood was placed on top of the pottery and then set on fire, thus hardening the pot. A final step would be to polish the pot using special stones.
Pueblo Pottery
Although pottery has been an important part of the culture of many different Native American tribes, Pueblo Pottery is one of the most famous types of Native American pottery. Using a similar process as that of the Native Americans of the Northeast, the Pueblo also use decorative additions, such as painting the pots with material from local plants. The dyes are also made from various plant materials. The result is truly unique examples of pottery, with beautiful geometric designs.
When one is looking for the perfect type of pottery to add to a collection, one should look no further than the pottery that the Native American culture has to offer. Such pottery is not only entirely handmade from natural materials, but it is also a symbol of a culture that is wonderfully unique.