Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Nettie Harris Owl

  • wcu_craft_revival-6916.jp2
  • Nettie Harris Owl (c. 1872-1923) was a Catawba woman who moved to Cherokee in the 1880s to be with her aunt Susannah Harris Owl. In 1889, Nettie Harris married Lloyd Owl. Along with her Aunt Susannah, Nettie Owl made pottery while living on the Qualla Boundary. Her daughter, Lula Owl Gloyne, confirmed that the two made a good living. As the tourist market for pottery expanded around the turn of the 20th century, Nettie Owl began marking her pottery as Cherokee, using phrases like, “Cherokee Reservation North Carolina 1904” and “Indian Reservation North Carolina 1904.” Although she was a Catawba, she lived in Cherokee with her Cherokee husband and sold through Cherokee outlets.