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Message:: [QUOTE="Taupou, post: 4440192, member: 45"]Sorry I'm so late in answering...my computer modem went out, and I was without internet service for over a week, and somehow I missed this.  Trying to use just my phone for the internet, when I'm not used to it, is difficult! In answer to your question, most southwest tribes used pottery canteens traditionally, until "modern" substitutes became available.  They were generally larger than the ones produced for the tourist trade, which in the southwest began around the late 1800s. Most all of the "canteens" found today on the market, were actually made for sale to tourists, and are smaller (easier to pack back home) and decorated (more attractive to the buyer.)  Their ability to actually be used as the traditional ones were, is therefore lost.  Water will eventually destroy the design pattern.  Since the purpose of canteens was actually to allow slow evaporation to occur, keeping the contents cooler, most traditionally used canteens were not decorated. The pottery canteens used by the various tribes were safe to use, and very efficient, but heavy (especially when filled), compared to the tin and other metal and enamel ones when they became available, so potters switched to making smaller ones for the tourist/collector market.[/QUOTE]