﻿226 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  the 
  Catawba.^ 
  Inquiry 
  revealed 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  while 
  they 
  had 
  ap- 
  

   parently 
  never 
  heard 
  of 
  gourd 
  smoothers, 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  formerly 
  

   used 
  mussel 
  shells 
  and 
  a 
  marine 
  shell, 
  probably 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  

   cardium 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  Iwi 
  herself 
  sometimes 
  used 
  a 
  chip 
  of 
  

   wood 
  in 
  making 
  large 
  vessels. 
  

  

  After 
  drying 
  — 
  a 
  process 
  that 
  takes 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  days, 
  

   depending 
  on 
  the 
  weather 
  — 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  carefully 
  rubbed 
  and 
  

   polished 
  on 
  the 
  inside, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  whenever 
  necessary 
  

   [pi. 
  7] 
  with 
  the 
  smoothing 
  stone 
  kept 
  wet 
  by 
  continual 
  dipping 
  

   in 
  water. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  and 
  dried 
  the 
  next 
  

   step 
  was 
  to 
  prop 
  the 
  vessels 
  up 
  on 
  their 
  sides 
  around 
  the 
  fire, 
  mouth 
  

   toward 
  the 
  blaze, 
  until 
  a 
  faint 
  brown 
  color, 
  beginning 
  near 
  the 
  

   fire 
  crept 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  — 
  a 
  sign 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   hot 
  enough 
  for 
  firing. 
  Then 
  the 
  potter, 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  stick, 
  rolled 
  

   them 
  over 
  mouth 
  down 
  upon 
  the 
  embers 
  [pi. 
  9] 
  and 
  covered 
  them 
  

   with 
  pieces 
  of 
  dry 
  bark 
  to 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  inches. 
  Mak- 
  

   ing 
  sure 
  that 
  the 
  bark 
  had 
  caught 
  fire 
  all 
  around 
  [pi. 
  10] 
  she 
  

   left 
  them 
  to 
  their 
  fate. 
  About 
  an 
  hour 
  later 
  the 
  bark 
  had 
  burned 
  

   away 
  leaving 
  the 
  rounded 
  bottoms 
  of 
  the 
  pots 
  protruding 
  through 
  

   the 
  ashes. 
  Then, 
  taking 
  her 
  long 
  hooked 
  stick, 
  Iwi 
  rolled 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  from 
  the 
  fire, 
  tapping 
  them 
  sharply 
  to 
  detect 
  cracks. 
  If 
  a 
  

   vessel 
  rang 
  clear 
  it 
  was 
  perfect. 
  

  

  '' 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  good 
  for 
  cooking, 
  these 
  pots 
  should 
  be 
  smoked," 
  

   she 
  said. 
  '* 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  done 
  the 
  water 
  will 
  soak 
  through." 
  So 
  

   she 
  dropped 
  a 
  handful 
  of 
  bran 
  in 
  each 
  one 
  while 
  they 
  were 
  still 
  

   almost 
  red-hot, 
  stirred 
  it 
  with 
  her 
  stick, 
  tipped 
  the 
  pots 
  this 
  way 
  

   and 
  that, 
  and 
  finally, 
  turning 
  out 
  the 
  now 
  blazing 
  bran 
  from 
  each 
  

   in 
  turn, 
  inverted 
  the 
  vessels 
  upon 
  it. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  inside 
  was 
  

   smoked 
  black 
  and 
  rendered 
  impervious 
  and 
  this 
  without 
  leaving 
  

   any 
  odor 
  of 
  smoke 
  in 
  the 
  vessels 
  when 
  they 
  became 
  cold. 
  Gen- 
  

   erally, 
  Iwi 
  told 
  me, 
  corncobs 
  were 
  employed 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  but 
  

   she 
  always 
  used 
  bran 
  when 
  cobs 
  were 
  not 
  available. 
  This 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  explains 
  the 
  black 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  surface 
  so 
  often 
  seen 
  in 
  

   New 
  York 
  aboriginal 
  pottery. 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  told 
  that 
  in 
  later 
  times 
  the 
  firing 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  done 
  

   indoors, 
  because 
  an 
  absolutely 
  still 
  day 
  was 
  necessary 
  for 
  a 
  suc- 
  

   cessful 
  burning 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air, 
  any 
  breeze 
  being 
  liable 
  to 
  crack 
  

   the 
  vessels. 
  The 
  firing 
  of 
  my 
  pottery 
  was, 
  however, 
  done 
  out 
  of 
  

  

  ^Harrington. 
  Catawba 
  Potters 
  and 
  their 
  Work. 
  Am. 
  Anthropology, 
  Sept. 
  

   1908. 
  

  

  