Ai;r. 7 ELDEN PUEBLO POTTERY DESIGNS — HOUGH 9 



The forms of brown ware are ordinary bowls, deep globular bowls, 

 globular vessels with rim, cups, dippers, miniature vessels, and quasi- 

 archaic figurines of animals (see pi. 10), showing that its use is far 

 more comprehensive than the gray ware. It is noted that the plain 

 brown ware exhibits no handles. There is much ground for the 

 belief that the brown ware is the basic type of the majority of the 

 Pueblo ruins in the southern areas, and we frequently observe that 

 gray ware has been superimposed upon it, as at the Elden site. The 

 unctuous volcanic clays no doubt played an important part in this 

 matter. 



The finds at Elden Pueblo contain but two specimens of modeling 

 exclusive of the rude brown figurines mentioned. One is a bird-form 

 vessel (pi. 8, fig. 1) in red-brown ware, a type occurring widely in 

 the Pueblo region in sites of every class of ware, the best specimen 

 being the gray example from the Tularosa in the United States 

 National Museum. The other is an outstanding gray-ware quad- 

 ruped-animal-form vessel related to examples found in southern 

 gray-ware sites, such as the Tularosa pueblos. The figurine appears 

 grotesque, but it is probably intended to represent a deer in the act 

 of "belling." (PI. 8, fig. 2.) The painting is pale, as if faded, 

 giving the specimen the appearance of antiquity as observed in the 

 band decorated ware. It may be assumed that this specimen was 

 brought to Elden Pueblo from some other locality, perhaps Kayenta, 

 where like specimens have been found. 



Motives. — It is apparent that the whole decorative field of the 

 Elden pottery is elaborated from the bird motive. The bird symbol, 

 W'hich comes under the definition of a symbol because it is a figure 

 expressing a complete idea, is in its early form not realistic, but the 

 two engaged spirals or geometric plans generally arising each from 

 a triangular or wedge-shaped base are taken to be the body of the 

 bird. This symbol is seen in the banded specimen (pi. 2, fig. 2) 

 believed to be the simplest form, and as such occurs on the earliest 

 pottery. 



Its origin is evidently not with the earliest pottery discovered by 

 Dr. F. H. H. Roberts (1980) in the Piedra, where it occurs as a 

 complete symbol, but probably was anteriorly dev^eloped as a re- 

 ligious symbol and used, as it was in Hopi fraternities, on perish- 

 able cult paraphernalia. No other symbol is so spread in space and 

 time as that derived from the bird, and it may be asserted that it is 

 characteristic of ancient Pueblo ceramic decoration. 



The bird symbols occur in various stages of convention on the 

 Elden pottery, but, as stated, they are always conventionalized. 

 Also, the figures are as a rule represented as two birds in apposition. 

 The simplest and probably the most ancient form seems to be 



