Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Pottery: pipe

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  • This blackware clay pipe was made by the Bigmeats, a family of Cherokee potters. Charlotte Welch Bigmeat (1887-1959) had five daughters, all of whom made pottery: Tinie Bigmeat Thompson (1913-1999), Ethel Bigmeat Queen (1916-1942), Elizabeth Bigmeat Jackson (1919-2008), Mabel Bigmeat Swimmer (1925-1991), and Louise Bigmeat Maney (1932-2001). Louise Bigmeat Maney later opened up a storefront studio and called it Bigmeat House of Pottery. Made from natural clay, the exterior of this pot has been incised with decorative lines, known as a bark pattern. The form is known as a seven-sided peace pipe. The potter's name is marked on the base. It was donated to the Southern Highland Craft Guild by the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.