Introduction and History: The Navajo are a Native American tribe in the Four Corners Reservation and are

currently the largest federally recognized tribe ith !""#"$% tribe members& They are ell 'no n for their arts and their s'ill in eaving# silversmithing# and ceramics& The Navajo s(ea' a form of the Athabas'an language li'e the A(ache or the estern Canadian Native American tribes& According to their language they are 'no n as the )ine# and their language is called the )ine bizaad# or the *eo(le+s language& The name Navajo comes from the term the ,(anish used to describe them# A(ache de Nabajo to distinguish them from their neighbors the A(aches& The Navajo have been around since (re-his(anic con.uest to current day# and they used to live a nomadic hunter gatherer lifestyle ith occasional trading and fighting ith the surrounding A(ache# Comanche# and *ueblo (eo(les& They lived in hogans# a traditional round# dome sha(ed d elling built of ooden logs and mud& /ater on ith *ueblo influence and trade# they settled do n in river valleys to farm the ! sisters# corn# s.uash# and beans& After the ,(anish arrived# the Navajo herded shee( and goats and used their ool to s(in and eave into blan'ets# and their floc's became a status symbol& The Navajo eren+t enslaved by the ,(anish in the encomienda systems li'e their neighbors the *ueblos# but instead raided the ,(anish ith the more ar-li'e A(aches for resources and (rotection& The raiding as continued even as settlers from the 0nited ,tates moved est ard# until in 1%2! Colonel 3it Carson as ordered to im(rison the Navajo and A(ache in a concentration cam( at 4os.ue Redondo in ,anta Fe# Ne 5e6ico& The Navajo ere allo ed to return to their old home in 1%2% after a treaty as made# and they settled in their current reservation& Fun fact: In 778# the Navajo set u( an uncrac'able code using their language to send secret messages ithout letting the enemy 'no & The 9a(anese and the A6is (o ers never came across the Navajo language before# and the messengers ere 'no n as the Navajo Code Tal'ers In the Four Corners Reservation# the Navajo govern their land li'e it+s a se(arate country from the 0nited ,tates# so American la and rights don+t a((ly to individuals that go on the reservation& Tourists and visitors have to behave according to Navajo la # or ris' the (unishments the Navajo government ill im(ose# since American la doesn+t a((ly&

Function: 0nli'e many other ,outh estern Native American (eo(les# the Navajo originally didn+t have decorative ceramics& The Ho(i and *ueblo (eo(le are more ell 'no n for decorative (ots# but the navajo built (ots that ere more functional# as vessels to store ater or seeds& The Navajo are more ell 'no n for their silversmithing and blan'et eaving# neither of hich is also 1"": Navajo origin& 7ith the ,(anish influence and con.uest# the Navajo ado(ted blan'et eaving from shee( the ,(aniards brought and learned ho to smith silver using ;uro(ean technology& <nly recently in modern times after the com(letion of the railroad in 1%2= did the Navajo (eo(le ada(t decorative ceramics only as a form of income& The *ueblo (eo(le did the same ith their (ottery by selling their decorative (ots to tourists from the railroad# and the Navajo shifted their functional (ottery to a more decorative style by ada(ting their blan'et eaving designs and (atterns to ceramics& Influence: The Navajo ere surrounded by many other Native american tribes and traded# arred# and shared culture ith them# li'e the *ueblo and most of the tribes can trace their origins to the Anasazi (eo(le& They s(lit a(art due to un'no n regions# but due to the shared ancestry# many Navajo and *ueblo (atterns are similar to roc' (aintings of the Anasazi& The tribes also had fre.uent contact and the Navajo ado(ted the *ueblo system of ! sister farming and arts& The Navajo ere nomadic hunters but they settled do n near river systems to farm after trading ith the *ueblos to discover beans# s.uash# and corn& After the His(anics con.uered the *ueblos# the Navajo learned ho to s(in and eave ool into blan'ets& /ater on# as the *ueblos discovered the benefits of catering to tourists by ma'ing decorative ceramics# the Navajo did the same and made artistic (ottery& 4uilding Techni.ue: The Navajo built their functional (ottery vastly different from their decorative (ottery& They hand built their vessels using (inching and coiling techni.ues from ground clay of their surroundings& The (ots ere then ba'ed on a bonfire# and a >glaze? of sa( from (i@on trees as a((lied hile the clay as still hot& The (itch allo ed the vessels to be ater (roof# and gave the Navajo (ottery a distinctive dar' bro n color and smell&

Their artistic (ottery is built a little differently ith more decoration& The (ots are still hand built from coils and are burnished ith a smooth tool for an even surface& )ecorations ere added to (ots in the form of colored sli(s and carved bands of (atterns around the surface of the (ot& The colored sli(s ere (ainted onto the (ot hile it as still et# and designs ere carved into the et clay& ,ome (otters can choose to leave the (ot as it is after firing li'e a decorative (ot# or they can choose to fire it the old ay on a bonfire and a((ly the characteristic (i@on (itch glaze& )ecorating Techni.ue: ,ince most original Navajo (ottery as functional# there as little to no decoration on the surface& <ccasionally te6tures or clay symbols ere a((lied to the clay but other decoration as restricted& <nly ith the coming of tourists from the railroads did the Navajo become artistic (otters ith decorations to entice customers& They used their designs from their blan'et eavings# hich ere full of traditional Navajo symbols# to ma'e their ell 'no n bands of (atterns on their (ots& Although the symbols on Native American (ottery do have (rimitive meanings# the (atterns used today are given false meanings and stories to attract buyers by convincing them that the designs have significance& The (atterns and designs are al ays carved or a((lied onto the clay# and the only source of color is from the sli(s a((lied onto the surface# since (ainted designs ere (rohibited because of the belief that they ould bring bad luc'& Also in Navajo art# (otters and artisans are careful to leave fla s in their (atterns and to never ma'e a smooth# (erfect design all around the (ot because of the belief that it ould tra( the Aei bichai# the Holy *eo(le& 4uilding *rocess: 1& Rolling and ,tac'ing- I chose to build ith terra-cotta clay to get a arm earthen color li'e the clay the Navajo (eo(le used# since the other o(tion of gray clay fires to a (ale (in' that ouldn+t .uite give a natural loo' to the (ot& I ould roll the clay into long coils and stac' them on to( of each other to start building alls& To ma'e the (ot ater tight I smoothed do n the crac's bet een the coils for ma'e solid alls& 8& ,cra(ing and ,moothing- After building the (ot# I used a rib tool to begin smoothing the surface of the (ot do n to get rid of unattractive lum(s and ridges to obtain a smooth surface available for carving& This ste( as done hen the clay as still et and (liable& !& ,li((ing and Carving- ,ince the Navajo don+t (aint their designs# but instead used colored sli(s# I chose to decorate the surface of my (ot my a((lying ! different colors of sli( in blac'# hite# and red on the et surface of the clay to

let it bind to the surface& I then too' various tools to carve through the sli( and into the clay beneath and create designs that ra( around the (ot& I created several brea's in the designs according to Navajo beliefs to let the s(irit of the Holy *eo(le out and avoid the bad luc' from tra((ing a s(irit& $& )rying and 4is.ue fire- <nce the sli( had been a((lied and the (ot carved# the only thing left to do as to dry it and fire& After ards I chose not to use any glazes# because the Navajo didn+t use any glazes# and I anted to stay true to the ay that they did things&

Benally, Harry, and Harold Carey. "Navajo History." Navajo History. Navajo People, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. aney, !erry. Navajo "la#. $i#ital i%a#e. Native Way Prod&'tions. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. Many#oats, (ita. Hand%ade Navajo )ndian Pottery. $i#ital i%a#e. Navajo Pottery by (ita Many#oats )s "eat&red at Bair*s )ndian +radin#. Bair*s )ndian +radin# Co%pany, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. M' erran, !enni,er. "-n'o&nter t.e People." Navajo Pottery, Navajo Pots, Navajo /rt, Clay Pottery, )ndian Pottery. Nort.ern /ri0ona Native /%eri'an C&lt&re +rail, 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014 "Navajo." -n'y'lopaedia Britanni'a. -n'y'lopaedia Britanni'a 1nline. -n'y'lop2dia Britanni'a )n'., 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. 3.ttp455666.britanni'a.'o%5-B'.e'7ed5topi'54089995Navajo:. Navajo Ho#an. $i#ital i%a#e. Bi# ;tar Way. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. Navajo Painted Pottery. $i#ital i%a#e. Native /%eri'an Pottery. ;anta "e Bas7et Co., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. "Navajo Pottery." +.e M&se&% ;.op. M&se&% o, Nort.ern /ri0ona, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. Peterson, ;&san. "Pottery by /%eri'an )ndian Wo%en." Pottery by /%eri'an )ndian Wo%en < History. /bbeville Press and +.e National M&se&% o, Wo%en in t.e /rts, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. Wood, =alerie. ""irst=oi'es4 $ene Wel'o%e Pa#e." "irst=oi'es4 $ene Wel'o%e Pa#e. "irst=oi'es, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.