Pottery is one of the oldest art forms for the Cherokee. According to legend, the mud dauber taught a young Cherokee girl how to make a pot out of mud. The earliest Cherokee pottery reflects the style of the mud dauber’s nest. Today Cherokee pottery is typically fired in the ground or in a homemade kiln. Most are blackened with the ashes of the fire or “smugged”. Designs are added with pottery stamps which are hit against the walls of the piece to engrave the design.