Effigy mask on a Susquehannock Indian clay pot, c. 1600-1625 This style of pottery decoration, known by archaeologists asWashington Boro Incised, represents the apex of the Susquehannock pottery-making tradition. Curiously, effigies only appear on Susquehannock pottery during the first quarter of the 17th century. The Susquehannock may have developed this elaborate decoration, an expression of pride in native tradition, in response to increased contact with European traders and the growing pressure to replace native items with European-made goods. By the end of the 17th century, brass trade kettles had almost entirely replaced native-made pottery vessels in the Susquehannock culture. The Susquehannock people were Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York, through Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland at the north end of the Chesapeake Bay. Evidence of their habitation has also been found in West Virginia.
Credit: The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Archaeology