Great Basin and Southwest Native American Weaving and Pottery

This water tus was made in 1890. This was used for carrying water or grain. The handles are made of hair.

This water tus is an olla and was used for cooking. It dates back to the 1500s. Native Americans used pitch and tree resin to make this basket waterproof. The handles are made of hair.

Finely designed, this basket stretches out wide with low walls and has a frayed center. The brown symbols represent the four cardinal directions.
This basket would be used to gather food.

Native Americans used clay to create their pottery. Sometimes they added materials like plant fibers to prevent cracking. Then they shaped the clay into the form they desired and smoothed out the air bubbles. Once the clay had dried, they would paint the pottery.

This Ancestral Puebloan cup features a keyhole, or a "capital T" in the handle. The T aperture indicates a direct connection to the Chacoan culture, as well as subsequent Aztec, Solomon, and Paquime sites in Mexico and New Mexico. It was created sometime between 700-1000 AD. 

Plain ware pitcher with stopper from the Kayenta region. This pitcher would be used for storing or pouring liquid.

This is a flat bottomed pitcher. This pitcher is from the Chaco region in Northern New Mexico. It features patterns directly related to Zapotec sites in Mexico. As Chaco was a major trade center, such artistic influences appeared on many Chacoan ceramics.

This olla was used as a cooking pot and was made sometime between 700-1100 AD. Corrugations create a greater surface area than a similarly sized smooth pot. The greater surface area represents a technological advancement as it allows the pot to heat up nearly twice as fast.

This is from the Pueblo V time period. There are black markings on the outside of the pot and holes drilled in the sides to hang it up.  These shell beads were incredibly valuable trade items, typically coming from California.

Defined and detailed painting on this pottery shows that this piece came from a more modern and advanced civilization. Pottery that does not have detailed designs come from an older time period.

Corrugated pottery has a unique rough and textured surface. Some benefits of using corrugated pots are that the pot is easier to handle and that it can warm up faster during cooking. This pot was created sometime between 700-1100 AD.

This clay bowl is from the Chaco region of New Mexico. It features black triangular markings on the inside. Such black on white pieces were common trade items that Chacoans traded to Mimbres and Paquime in northern Mexico.

This bowl was made by the Zuni tribe and was found in New Mexico. Native Americans painted their pottery with pigments made from rocks and plants. When making paintbrushes, they would use hair or chewed yucca plant tips to form the bristles.

This bowl was painted with red, black, and white pigment. It may have been painted to symbolize culture or to be used in ceremonies.