In Virtual Moundville Native American Festival-Pottery by Mary T. Newman, my objective was to reflect upon the experience and ideas attained from the culture of the Native Americans as a virtual attendee. In addition, I compared my experience during the virtual attendance to the following issues: the heritage and tradition of Native Americans and the local history and tourism. This article discusses the history of pottery making in Native American culture and the benefits of such a rich past.
The pottery culture associated with the Native Americans dates back nearly five centuries ago. However, they are classified as modern, considering the oldest dates back to 20,000 years ago. Pottery in this culture was born due to cooking, carrying and holding water, and storing harvests. Other research has stated that the Native Americans used mud to cover cooking baskets during cooking (Mahardika et al. 509). They then realized that the soil hardened, making it durable and capable of cooking without the baskets. Archaeologists have validated this statement by noting that the early pots had indentions resulting from baskets.
Watching as Marry T. Newman made a pot using the Native American culture, I realized that this was not just how the Native Americans met their necessity to have cooking pots; it was their heritage. The passion that Mary had molding and the tone of her voice could pass the message clearly, that this was something to be full of pride. Though the pottery made during those times had similarities, each culture had its own unique identity. For example, the type of clay used, the amount of heat to harden the pot, the clay’s contents, iron, and water. Marry explained and made a joke, “I’m gonna bury this one day and see if the archeologists can figure out what made that” (Newman, 3:50-4:52), got my attention and realized markings on the pot were designs.
The indentions on the early bank could have been possible due to the latest design of the pools at that time. If so, that would mean the history of pottery making by the Native Americans could be older than suggested. “Pottery in America…they say it about five thousand years old, probably could be older, we won’t know” (Newman, 1:20: 1:54). For example, there was the texture of the pine needle and the nuts, among many others.
The design of ceramic artifacts commonly corresponds to the advent of a still lifestyle that revolved around agriculture instead of a nomadic lifestyle. As stated, some professionals still believe the pottery culture was born accidentally. The pottery started on the coasts where clay mud was readily available, but as tribes went extinct, some cultures, including ceramics (Cameron 165). However, some cultures made wealth from pottery, maintaining it until today.
Due to the rich heritage of the Native Americans, there are records of huge numbers of tourists who witness pottery making and see finished products. Some tourists purchase the artifacts, which brings revenue. In addition, tourism earns a lot of income for the government, hence has benefited it for years (Cameron 163). Many communities have maintained this history today. For example, restaurants and hotels purchase these pots for décor. Intentionally or unintentionally, they contribute to the spreading of the culture.
Conclusively, the study and archaeological reports that have been submitted might have just a fraction of the whole truth. The thought that pottery could be older seems to suggest that there should be extensive research on the subject. In addition, the government should support cultures as much as they want to earn since most of the national funds are acquired from money paid by tourists.
Works Cited
Bennett, Delancy HS. “The effect of promotional bundles on purchase intent for high, medium, and low vested sports tourists’ segments within the context of the NBA’S Charlotte Hornets”. Journal of Tourism & Hospitality, vol 06, no. 02, 2017. OMICS Publishing Group,
Cameron, Catherine M. The Marketing of Heritage: From The Western World to The Global Stage. American Anthropological Association, 2008, pp. 160-169.
Mahardika, Ida Bagus Putra et al. “transesterification of used cooking oil using Cao/MCM-41 catalyst synthesized from lapindo mud by sonochemical method”. Indonesian Journal of Chemistry, vol 17, no. 3, 2017, p. 509. Universitas Gadjah Mada,
Newman, Mary T. Virtual Moundville Native American Festival-Pottery. [Video]. 2020, Web.