Sometimes the intense heat cracked a pot, rendering it useless, but if it remained intact, the jeopardy was worth the resulting creation, a durable vessel which eased life a little. Eventually, the potter learned, perhaps from another woman some distance away, how to enhance the beauty of her clay wares. Using a sharp stick or piece of river cane, she fashioned a design near the rim of the wet pot before setting it out to dry. To do this, she pushed the stick point into the clay, leaving a small indention called a punctation, then she briefly dragged the stick across the clay, etching a thin line between the first punctation and the one she made next. She repeated the pattern until the entire rim was decorated.
Archeologists are unsure why the difference developed.
Possibly one style preceded the other, just as certain spearpoint designs were used earlier than others. Or, maybe the two embellishments simply reflect the originality of individual artists. In comparison, pottery fragments discovered at Stallings Island have more complex geometric patterns. Perhaps, as David Anderson suggests, the gathering of different populations there stirred a need to exhibit ownership or group affiliation. The manner and the direction in which pottery-making spread interests archeologists.