Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Note the location of any newly-found pottery or shards, preferably with photographs and GPS, prior to removal. This preserves a record as well as gives you a starting point for identifying the piece by the location, since certain tribes were only in a specific area. The Caddo Indians get credit for the most sophisticated pottery making, according to Texas Historical Association, and they were located along the Red River and the Canadian River. Excavators find shards in almost all areas of the state, representing other Native American tribes.
Examine any pottery for composition clay. The clay may identify the tribe and the source of the clay. Color and composition are key identifiers. Grog (pulverized pottery) or bone tempering the clay was common in Caddo pottery made about 800 A.D. Some of the pottery is several colors because of the bone or grog, and these are identifying marks.
Look at the thickness of the piece. Most archeologists believe that Caddo Indians made coarse work and fine work, according to "The Caddo Pottery Tradition" article from the University of Texas. Coarse work was utilitarian ware with thick walls for cooking and carrying. Fine work was thin, polished and decorated, and used for special occasions, religious ceremonies and carrying to the afterlife.
Examine the process used to make the piece. Some potters used a rope process, rolling the clay into long round strands for assembly and some had finger pinch markings on "strands" of clay. Exterior and interior marks may identify the vessel process. One Caddo bottle unearthed looks like a corncob that would not hold water, done with finger pinch on strands of clay.
Check for decorative markings on the exterior of the pot. Cord marking had a decorative and utilitarian purpose, created with a hand tool of cord wrapped around a paddle. The Borger cord-marked pots have parallel lines of corded design and this created a grip surface as well as made more heating surface. Some of the fine work of the Caddo tribe had deep incised areas of design in a red clay base, filled with a kaolin or white clay to create a sophisticated two-color design, often around the shoulder or neck of a vessel. Many of the Native American pots have incised lines drawn with a sharp object and these designs appear to be decorative.
Contact a Texas university for assistance in identifying Texas Indian pots. Archeology departments thrive on helping, researching and sharing ideas.