﻿222 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  THE 
  LAST 
  OF 
  THE 
  IROQUOIS 
  POTTERS 
  

  

  BY 
  M. 
  R. 
  HARRINGTON 
  

  

  The 
  ceramic 
  art 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Iroquois 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  obso- 
  

   lete. 
  Although 
  the 
  knowledge 
  that 
  their 
  ancestors 
  manufactured 
  

   vessels 
  of 
  clay 
  still 
  persists 
  among 
  them, 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  technical 
  

   details 
  remains, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  discover, 
  even 
  in 
  

   tradition. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  I 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  

   reported 
  survival 
  of 
  the 
  potters' 
  craft 
  among 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Cherokee* 
  

   who 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  Iroquoian 
  in 
  language 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  resembled 
  

   in 
  culture, 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  of 
  the 
  north. 
  Here, 
  

   thought 
  I, 
  may 
  be 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  questions 
  which 
  

   have 
  long 
  puzzled 
  New 
  York 
  archeologists 
  and 
  to 
  put 
  on 
  record 
  

   a 
  first-hand 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  art 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Five 
  Nations 
  had 
  

   developed 
  such 
  proficiency. 
  

  

  My 
  opportunity 
  came 
  in 
  July 
  1908, 
  when 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  my 
  

   anthropological 
  work 
  for 
  Mr 
  George 
  G. 
  Heye 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  I 
  

   visited 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  settlements 
  in 
  western 
  North 
  Carolina 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  of 
  collecting 
  ethnological 
  specimens. 
  

  

  Before 
  starting 
  I 
  received 
  many 
  helpful 
  hints 
  from 
  Mr 
  James 
  

   Mooney 
  who 
  has 
  made 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Cherokee 
  an 
  object 
  of 
  special 
  

   study; 
  thus 
  I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  know 
  approximately 
  what 
  to 
  expect 
  

   before 
  arriving 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  After 
  securing 
  an 
  interpreter 
  I 
  

   began 
  to 
  make 
  inquiries 
  about 
  pottery, 
  and 
  soon 
  discovered 
  thgit 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  families 
  still 
  kept 
  a 
  few 
  pieces 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  use, 
  or 
  

   as 
  mementoes 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  days. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  secure 
  

   these, 
  but 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  neither 
  money 
  nor 
  persuasion 
  had 
  any 
  

   effect 
  — 
  the 
  owners 
  remained 
  obdurate. 
  Nevertheless 
  a 
  very 
  fair 
  

   collection 
  was 
  secured, 
  comprising 
  specimens 
  of 
  various 
  ages, 
  sizes 
  

   and 
  uses. 
  

  

  Three 
  principal 
  forms 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  in 
  modern 
  Cherokee 
  

   ware, 
  as 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  collection 
  secured 
  for 
  Mr 
  Heye 
  :: 
  the 
  

   large 
  jar 
  (ii" 
  ti"), 
  the 
  pot 
  (tu 
  sti") 
  and 
  the 
  bowl 
  (de 
  wa 
  LI"). 
  The 
  

   jars 
  are 
  usually 
  12 
  to 
  16 
  inches 
  high 
  and 
  average 
  about 
  8 
  inches 
  

   in 
  diameter. 
  Generally 
  these 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  flat 
  bottom 
  

   from 
  which 
  the 
  sides 
  bulge 
  slightly, 
  contracting 
  again 
  toward 
  the 
  

   rim. 
  Such 
  vessels 
  are 
  usually 
  covered 
  with 
  stamped 
  designs 
  

   applied 
  with 
  a 
  carved 
  paddle, 
  but 
  no 
  fr^e-hand 
  incised 
  decoration 
  

   was 
  seen. 
  The 
  name 
  u" 
  ti" 
  while 
  specifically 
  applied 
  "to 
  these 
  large 
  

  

  ^Holmes. 
  Aboriginal 
  Pottery 
  of 
  Eastern 
  U. 
  S. 
  p. 
  52. 
  

  

  