Cherokee Indian Pottery 1800’S

Beautiful Early 1800’s Pottery from the Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

Size: 5″ h x 3.5″ w

The Cherokee, who call themselves Aniyvwiyaʔi, the Principal People, are one of the indigenous peoples of the southeastern United States. Before the 18th century, the lands of the Cherokee were concentrated in what are now the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

The Cherokee currently have more than more than 344,000 tribal members. Members are divided between three Cherokee tribes: the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. Combined the three groups make up the largest federally recognized tribe in the United States.

Today, many Cherokee people are concerned with living in the modern world while preserving the language, traditions, customs, and arts that make them unique.

Cherokee pottery

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have the longest continuing pottery tradition of any tribe in the country, going back three thousand years.                                                   Traditional Cherokee pottery is hand built, thin-walled, waterproof, and stamped with wooden paddles that create rectilinear and curvilinear designs. It is not glazed, but sometimes burnished or covered with slip. Pots are fired in an open fire that imparts mottled smoke patterns. Shapes include large and small cooking pots, serving bowls, water bottles, and effigy pots