American Indian pottery originates from Indians who came from different spheres of land routes of Canada and the Bering Strait, and who traveled long distances, some all the way from Asia, and who showed interest in the pottery art form. Their habitat had a vast range, starting from the Midwest to the Northeast regions and from arctic to subtropical climates. They used to operate the potteries that created fired clay, which has a long lasting life, therefore, there are remains that have been found and used for research purposes in later times.

The early phase of pottery works was primarily pieces made to meet the general day-to-day needs of water storage, food serving and storage, and preserving seeds to be reared in the next season. There was no specific intention in the minds of this age to gather large scale popularity by means of pottery designs and art ware. Even though their pottery works were done with a specific purpose in mind, they started getting the attention of people all over the country. The main promoters of pottery art, who actually worked on this creativity, were the women of this era. Hands built vessels were not in symmetry, for there was no focus on the artistic view. A little decoration was done by creating textures using pointed sticks.

Designs in the form of nature, animals, plants, Gods, and humans have been used in the form of symbols to decorate the pottery during these times. If there is any traditional links to the designs portrayed on the Indian pots they have been just for decoration purposes. The pottery of this stage in history was used in various ceremonies, including burial ceremonies, and was a regularly used social and religious utensil. Indian pottery started diminishing after the Spanish conquest in 1540.