The very nature of the Moundville Indian's surroundings provided
security and leisure. His time was not consumed in constant search for
food and warmth, and to squander his time, grow fat and lazy, was not in
him. His skill and versatility required expression, which he found in
the art of pottery-making.
[Illustration: THE MOUNDVILLE POTTER WAS A SKILLED CRAFTSMAN.]
[Illustration: VARIETY OF FORM CHARACTERIZES MOUNDVILLE POTTERY.]
[Illustration: POTTERY BEAKER WITH A SYMBOLIC DESIGN.
After the beaker was removed from the ground by the archaeologist
the incised lines were filled with white paint in order to emphasize
the design.]
He manufactured great quantities of pottery for domestic use. Moistening
clay which he took from the river bank, he kneaded into it particles of
crushed shell. This was to keep the molded clay from cracking when it
hardened. He shaped the clay into jars, pots, bowls and other
utilitarian objects, hardening them with fire. This domestic ware was
plain, bearing no decoration.
It was through non-utilitarian ware, exquisitely decorated, that the
Moundville Indian wrought careful and lasting expression of his
artistry. The potter used only his finest clay for this ware. After
forming the clay into some delicately molded vessel, then hardening it
with fire, he dipped the vessel into a black "wash" which coated it with
a smooth, black film. The coloring agent contained in this "wash" was
derived, indirectly, from plants.
Usually the potter decorated the vessel with some intricate design,
often incising the lines on the vessel before it was hardened, at other
times scratching them on the hardened vessel. Sometimes the etched or
incised lines of the design were filled with red paint, derived from
iron ore, which gave the design a striking appearance on the polished
black surface of the vessel.
Water bottles, bowls, pots, shallow dishes, and effigy vessels were made
of this thin, black ware. Their forms included frog, duck, beaver,
rabbit, eagle, bat, owl, fish, shell and even human shapes.
Designs incised or engraved on this ware depicted the plumed or horned
serpent, the ivory-billed woodpecker, eagle, sun, human hand and eye,
skull and armbones, and numerous others.
Sometimes vessels were decorated with red and white paint (derived from
iron and lead ore) instead of being "washed" black. This type of
decoration was not common, however.