Just as their ancestors did, Pueblo potters dig clay from the land around them and begin the timeless process which transforms the hard lumps into finished pottery. First the clay is cleaned, ground, soaked, refined, mixed with tempering grit and kneaded to prepare it for shaping. Then the clay is rolled into ropes which are wound, coil upon coil, into the basic shape of the pot, pinching and smoothing the coils to join them. Next the pot is scraped until it is smooth and symmetrical and no traces of the coils remain. It is after this labor that the potter gives each vessel her particular style, depending on her pueblo, skill and creativity.