Pottery is an art form that is closely associated with Native American Indians. Southwest Native American Indians and the Pueblo are particularly well known for their pottery. Early tribes in the Southwest were mostly hunters and gathers. They needed light weight portable containers to carry nuts, berries and other edibles as they collected them. Simple baskets were all that they needed.

Eventually, these Native American Indians began to settle and rely on farming for more of their food. They found that they needed more permanent containers to store their food in for longer periods of time. They began to make pottery from the clay they found naturally around them.

The pottery they made was not only functional, it was beautiful as well. Each tribe had favorite and special patterns and designs that were used over and over. Pottery was often made for a special purpose. It could be made for food or a particular ceremony. Native American pottery developed into an art form that is still highly appreciated today.

Most Native American Indians made some kind of basket. Making a basket starts way before the actual weaving. Each basket weaver cultivates, harvests and prepares select plant materials for each of their baskets. Grasses, roots, cornhusks, herb plants, hemp, bark and twigs can all be used in basket weaving. Materials are split, trimmed and coiled and then stored in bundles for later use. Baskets can be made with a loose weave or woven so tightly that they can hold water. Basket weavers work from the bottom of the basket up.

The Navajo are well known for their fine blankets. Navajo women believed that a spirit called Spider Woman originally taught them to weave. Weaving skills, tools and patterns were handed down from mother to daughter through the generations. Textile weaving is different from basket weaving because it requires a loom. A loom can be as simple at a stick frame in the shape of a rectangle. Threads are first stretched and tied onto the loom vertically, from top to bottom. Other threads are then pulled in and out, horizontally, from right to left through the warp to create the weaving. These threads are called the weft.

The Kwakiult were well known for their goat hair blankets. These blankets were often given as gifts at their elaborate potlatch ceremonies. Plains Indians used wool to weave their blankets. The wool from sheep or goat's hair must be spun into threads before the weaving process can begin. Vegetable dyes were used to add color to the threads before weaving.

In the 1800s, Mexicans introduced both the Pueblo and Navajo peoples to the art of working with silver. Each group developed their own style of jewelry. The Navajo favored large turquoise stones and heavy metal work that visually balanced their pieces. The Zuni liked to use many small stones set in complex designs of silverwork. Both Pueblo and Navajo Native American Indians believe that turquoise has special spiritual properties. Both silver and turquoise could be found in the rocks of their region. Silver jewelry was valued for its beauty and as a sign of wealth. A person gained status by owning and displaying such jewelry.