He manufactured great quantities of pottery for domestic use. Moistening clay which he took from the river bank, he kneaded into it particles of crushed shell. This was to keep the molded clay from cracking when it hardened. He shaped the clay into jars, pots, bowls and other utilitarian objects, hardening them with fire. This domestic ware was plain, bearing no decoration.

It was through non-utilitarian ware, exquisitely decorated, that the Moundville Indian wrought careful and lasting expression of his artistry. The potter used only his finest clay for this ware. After forming the clay into some delicately molded vessel, then hardening it with fire, he dipped the vessel into a black “wash” which coated it with a smooth, black film. The coloring agent contained in this “wash” was derived, indirectly, from plants.

Usually the potter decorated the vessel with some intricate design, often incising the lines on the vessel before it was hardened, at other times scratching them on the hardened vessel. Sometimes the etched or incised lines of the design were filled with red paint, derived from iron ore, which gave the design a striking appearance on the polished black surface of the vessel.

Water bottles, bowls, pots, shallow dishes, and effigy vessels were made of this thin, black ware. Their forms included frog, duck, beaver, rabbit, eagle, bat, owl, fish, shell and even human shapes.

Designs incised or engraved on this ware depicted the plumed or horned serpent, the ivory-billed woodpecker, eagle, sun, human hand and eye, skull and armbones, and numerous others.

Sometimes vessels were decorated with red and white paint (derived from iron and lead ore) instead of being “washed” black. This type of decoration was not common, however.