Posted 8 years ago
JanetP
(1 item)
I know nothing about American Indian pottery, but would love to hear from anyone who has an idea about the markings on this handmade piece. Appears to be made of clay. It's my cool show and tell find from the garage. I live in sandhills of NC is that helps.
No Native American tribe makes black pottery with this style of decoration, and this type of handles. Black pottery, however, is made in a lot of other places, like Mexico, China, Romania, many countries in Central and South America, and by many African cultures.
The shape of the handles and the way they are attached, plus the decorating technique, most resembles pottery made in parts of Africa, including the Congo and Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, an ethnic minority group, the Falasha ("Beta Israel" or House of Israel in their own language) are well known for their black pottery. Since the Falasha are also known as the "Black Jews of Ethiopia," and this pot is decorated with a Star of David, I would think that would be the most-likely source.