THUNDERBIRD COLLECTION: Vintage Nemadji Pottery, Turquoise Jewelry & more

Fast Facts about Nemadji Pottery:

1. Commonly known as "Nemadji Indian Pottery". The pottery is perceived as a Native American production but that was deceptive marketing, and sadly an exploitation of the American Indian.
   
   
2. The name “Nemadji” is an Ojibwe word meaning “left-handed” from the Indigenous language. That is the only connection Nemadji pottery has to the Ojibwe tribe (also known as Chippewa).
   
   
3. Nemadji Tile & Pottery Co. of Moose Lake, Minnesota, began producing their swirled pottery in 1929 and throughout the depression in the 1930's as a way to fuel tourist markets, usually in the western and northeastern United States.
   
   
4. The "native" clay used to produce the pottery was dug from the banks of the Nemadji River which runs 70 miles from Pine County, Minnesota into Lake Superior, northeast of the Twin Cities.
   
   
5. Eric Hellman, a Nemadji employee and Danish immigrant, came up with the idea to decorate the vases using simple house paint and creating the swirl designs that define Nemadji Pottery and make each piece one-of-a-kind. "Hellman went on to work for Van Briggle Pottery before World War II and opened the Garden of the Gods Pottery in Colorado Springs in 1950."
   
   
6. "No glazing is ever used on the exterior, leaving the vase or bowl with a creamy matte finish. Only the interiors of the pieces are glazed for firing and left glossy and water-resistant when done. Thus, one of the best incentives for collecting Nemadji Pottery lies in the fact that no two exteriors are ever the same."
   
   
7. To determine the approximate date of a piece of Nemadji pottery, take a look at the underside of the pottery. "Early pieces have arrowhead designs. From the 1930s to 1980, the word “Nemadji” was included in the stamp but without any symbol. And from 1980 onward, all stamps featured an Indian head."