Catawba Indian Pottery: The Survival of a Folk Tradition (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780817350611)

Traces the craft of pottery making among the Catawba Indians of North Carolina from the late 18th century to the present

When Europeans encountered them, the Catawba Indians were living along the river and throughout the valley that carries their name near the present North Carolina-South Carolina border. Archaeologists later collected and identified categories of pottery types belonging to the historic Catawba and extrapolated an association with their protohistoric and prehistoric predecessors.

In this volume, Thomas Blumer traces the construction techniques of those documented ceramics to the lineage of their probable present-day master potters or, in other words, he traces the Catawba pottery traditions. By mining data from archives and the oral traditions of contemporary potters, Blumer reconstructs sales circuits regularly traveled by Catawba peddlers and thereby illuminates unresolved questions regarding trade routes in the protohistoric period. In addition, the author details particular techniques of the representative potters--factors such as clay selection, tool use, decoration, and firing techniques--which influence their styles.

Author: Thomas John Blumer
ISBN-10: 0817350616
ISBN-13: 9780817350611
Publisher: University Alabama Press
Language: English
Published: 12/22/2003
Pages: 223
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.52w x 0.61d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/15/2004 pg. 69
Choice 10/01/2004 pg. 279