Dating back many years, horsehair pottery is a Native American art form. As its name implies, it is made using hair from the tail and mane of a horse. Handcrafted horsehair pottery is created by burning horsehair on the surface of a piece of pottery when it is red hot. Each piece is similar; however, none are alike because of the free flow of the horsehair. It has been written in Native American folklore that a pueblo potter whose long hair blew against a piece of pottery she was removing from a hot kiln, stuck to the piece, first made horsehair pottery. The finished piece was so interesting that she duplicated it with hair from a horse's tail.




Today, members of various tribes make horsehair pottery, including the Navajo people. Horsehair pottery may be decorated with pieces of turquoise, etched, or have a design painted over the horsehair. Each Horsehair Pottery is unique.