DECORATIVE DESIGNS ON ELDEN PUEBLO POTTERY 



FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. 



By Walter Hough 



Head Curator, Department of Anthropology, United States National Museum 



INTRODUCTION 



Elden Pueblo, located 6I/2 miles east of Flagstaff, Ariz., was exca- 

 vated in 1926 by Dr. J. Walter Fewkes and his party for the Bureau 

 of American Ethnology. This work, carried on with Doctor Fewkes's 

 characteristic skill and experience, contributed much to our knowl- 

 edge of the archeology of this region. Dr. H. S. Colton, of the 

 University of Pennsylvania, who has for several years investigated 

 and published on the ruins of this portion of Arizona, called Doctor 

 Fewkes's attention to the Elden ruin and subsequently aided in the 

 field work. Doctor Fewkes's report (1927) leaves little to be desired 

 regarding all phases of the exploration. The present paper is con- 

 fined to a study of the decoration of the Elden Pueblo ceramics 

 collected by Doctor Fewkes. 



Intercourse by Indian groups scattered over a very wide region 

 in northeastern Arizona was promoted by the prominence of San 

 Francisco Mountain in Pueblo cult. In Pueblo mountain worship 

 the peaks were regarded as shrines, and tribes came from great dis- 

 tances to them for worship. Cloud, rain, and water cults were 

 ordered in response to the meteorological energy of the high peaks, 

 which affected the weather over thousands of square miles. The 

 Pueblo Indians had probably observed the relation of the mountains 

 to weather phenomena centuries ago. 



San Francisco peaks as a cult focus would thus be responsible for ' 

 any introductions of foreign elements in the materials from ancient 

 pueblos. This is merely suggested as one of the ways that intrusive 

 specimens arise, especially from regions widely separated. 



POTTERY 



General remarks. — Elden Pueblo is classed as a gray-ware site, 

 one of the many northern type settlements penetrating the Little 

 Colorado region and situated south of the great escarpment called 

 the " rim." It is evident that this ruin dates from the Great Period 

 of Kidder and that it was established a very long time before the 



No. 2930— Proceedings U. S. National Museum. Vol. 81. Art. 7. 



110044 — 32 1 



