Some Swannanoa Valley History of pottery

As a docent at the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center (SVM) I want to share some of the pottery that has been made here about 1300 years ago, and more recently, by Native Americans in the area.

The archaeological display speaks of firing pots by the time Woodland Indians were living in the area (640 A.D.)

These display boards are about the digs by Warren Wilson college professors and students.

"Maude Welch, a Cherokee potter, lived as a young woman in Sough Carolina in Catawba surroundings, later moving to the Qually Boundary. She died in 1953.  Her descendants still live in Cherokee."  Qualla Boundary is a Cherokee reservation, including the city of Cherokee NC.

 (See below for reading the sign about the Wedding Pot)

A stirrup jug is a style that was often used in Meso-America, so it comes from the Western North America and Central and South American indigenous peoples from before there was European contact.

Three periods explained on story boards for the exhibit.

The display about Native Americans is rather small, and I'll share more about the rest of it in my other blog, Living in Black Mountain NC.