Using theoretical assumptions from the anthropology of technology, my research explores the social impacts of disaster at the household and community levels by drawing on method, theory, and information from across subdisciplinary boundaries to incorporate archaeological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic datasets. Specifically, I explore how Hidatsa potters located near the Knife River of North Dakota responded to the smallpox epidemics of the 18th and 19th centuries and how these women maintained or modified their daily practice in light of these catastrophic events. The objective of my research is to contribute new theory to the anthropology of disaster by examining catastrophes at a finer scale and by exploring the role of materiality and technology in coping strategies. This research has been supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, the National Park Service, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota.