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Message:: [QUOTE="Taupou, post: 284438, member: 45"]Nemadji was souvenir pottery made by the Nemadji Tile and Pottery Company of Minnesota, and called "Indian" pottery by the company until the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 made it illegal to sell anything as "Indian" unless it was actually made by an enrolled member of a U.S. tribe.   According to "The Myth And Magic Of Nemadji Indian Pottery" by Michelle D. Lee, the idea that it is Indian or Native American is one of the best examples of how the public can be deceived for years by deliberately misleading and deceptive advertising. Meaningless terms like "Native Clay," (it wasn't even local, after 1970 the clay came from Ohio and Kentucky), and stamps featuring arrowheads, canoes, and the ubiquitous Indian head profile, helped create the idea it was Native American. Nemadji would even produce specialized stamps for some wholesale customers.  Dozens of different stamped marks were used, from 1929-2002, and for those who collect it, the older and more "rare" marks may have an impact on price.  The actual process of decorating with the distinctive swirling colors (from Pittsburgh Paint) was developed by a Danish potter, Eric Hellman, who went on to work for Van Briggle and Broadmoor, before starting his own pottery, Garden of the Gods (which looks like Nemadji pottery), in Colorado.  He also made the original hand-thrown pots used to create the molds that  Nemadji pottery was made from.[/QUOTE]