Paddle-and-Anvil Construction
A potter adds thick ropes of clay to a hand-formed or molded base and then binds the added clay by hitting the exterior of the vessel with a wooden paddle while holding a flattened stone anvil or a fist against the vessel’s interior. Paddling also thins the wall and allows the potter to control the shape of the vessel. This technique is associated with the Hohokam and Patayan archaeological cultures and has been used by historic and contemporary Yuman-speaking and O’odham potters.
