▁was ▁self - su fficient , ▁and ▁grew ▁all ▁of ▁its ▁own ▁food . ▁When ▁she ▁was ▁younger ▁Sw immer ▁attended ▁Big ▁C ove ▁Day ▁School . ▁ ▁Pot tery ▁Sw immer ▁taught ▁herself ▁to ▁form ▁and ▁fire ▁p ots ▁after ▁discover ing ▁a ▁depos it ▁of ▁cl ay ▁near ▁her ▁home ▁in ▁the ▁Big ▁C ove ▁community . ▁She ▁sold ▁her ▁first ▁p ots ▁to ▁tour ists ▁that ▁a ▁park ▁r anger ▁brought ▁to ▁her ▁home . ▁At ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁thirty - six , ▁she ▁began ▁working ▁at ▁the ▁O con al uf te e ▁Indian ▁Village , ▁where ▁she ▁learned ▁traditional ▁methods ▁of ▁pot tery ▁building ▁from ▁M abel ▁Big me at . ▁Am anda ▁Sw immer ▁demonstrated ▁pot tery ▁making ▁at ▁the ▁village ▁for ▁more ▁than ▁thirty - five ▁years , ▁often ▁building ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁thousand ▁p ots ▁in ▁a ▁summer ▁season . ▁Sw immer ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁individuals ▁to ▁propose ▁different ▁uses ▁and ▁names ▁for ▁traditional ▁Ch ero kee ▁pot tery . ▁ ▁She ▁used ▁traditional ▁Ch ero kee ▁pot tery ▁techniques ▁that ▁fell ▁into ▁dis use ▁in ▁North ▁Carolina ▁after ▁the ▁Ch ero kee ▁were ▁forced ▁to ▁move ▁from ▁their ▁hom eland ▁to ▁lands ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁West . ▁Sw immer ▁created ▁her ▁pot tery ▁using ▁traditional ▁Ch ero kee ▁techniques , ▁and ▁did ▁not ▁use ▁a ▁pot ters ▁wheel ▁to ▁create ▁any ▁of ▁her ▁work . ▁Instead , ▁she ▁created ▁all ▁of ▁her ▁pot tery ▁with ▁her ▁hands , ▁and ▁used ▁various ▁types