Before the Native Indians made pottery, they made bowls out of steatite, otherwise known as "soapstone" because it feels like a greasy soap. Steatite is very soft, in fact if ground it is talcum powder. This made it easy to carve and create bowls in the quarries. The Native Indians literally would carve them out in the quarry and cut the bottom off and carry the bowl home!

Soapstone (Steatite) Bowls         Different stages of carving a steatite bowl. This image is from http://oha.ci.alexandria.va.us/     © Copyright Susquehanna River Archaeological Center of Native Indian Studies