The Caddo culture of southeastern Oklahoma, northeastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas, and northwestern Louisiana has a rich artistic tradition that dates back some 3,000 years to Woodland period ancestors and continues today with the modern Caddo Nation. Between about A.D. 800 and 1800, the Caddo thrived in what is now known as the Caddo Archaeological Area. They made both utility-ware bowls and jars, as well as fine-ware bottles, carinated bowls, and compound vessels. They also made on occasion ceramic smoking pipes, ear ornaments, figurines beads, and other items.
This volume contains fifteen essays by sixteen archaeologists and two Caddo artists and documents the development of the Caddo ceramic tradition over the last 3,000 years. Caddo ceramics come in many styles that evolved over the long history as does the craftsmanship of the artists. Clearly, ceramics were a very important part of Caddo life in the preparing, serving, and storage of food and beverages, as personal possessions or heirlooms, and as beautiful works of art.
The book is divided into three parts. Part I deals with the history of ceramic development and of the scholars who first discovered and studied these remarkable objects. Essays focus on the pioneers of the early 20th century – Clarence B. Moore and Mark R. Harrington. Typological techniques were developed by James A. Ford, Clarence H. Webb, and Alex D. Krieger. Other essays feature the regional diversity of the Caddo traditions that is found in the archaeological record.
Part II focuses on ceramic variation, stylistic analysis, iconography, and community identity. The recognition and definition of past social groups is examined in detail. Part III contains two essays by contemporary Caddo potters who discuss the revival of the ceramic tradition since the 1990s.
This book is the first comprehensive study of the Caddo ceramic tradition using both archaeological and modern Caddo perspectives. It is a case study that has much broader implications than for just the Caddo as many of the techniques and styles are used across the southeastern United States. 59 line drawings, 193 photographs and 40 maps enhance the narrative.
