CULTURE OF PEOPLE OF SOUTHEASTERN PANAMA 67 



the lateral walls of the lower or store compartment, are four in 

 number, alternating with an equal number of cuneiform openings. 

 An additional perforation is located at the center of the annular 

 foot of the lower compartment, which might be of aid in securing 

 additional draft when the entire base compartment is placed in the 

 fire bed, or when the upper chamber is employed as a brasier and 

 coconut husks or charcoal is placed within. 



A stove-censer, "Tsiya nala" (Tule) (Cat. No. 327354, U.S.N.M., 

 pi. 14, No. 1), of such small dimensions. 9.5 cm. (3.7 in.) in height 

 and 8.9 cm. (3.5 in.) in width, as to be classed with the toy pottery 

 objects, so abundant along the San Bias coast, is similar in form 

 and technique to the censer-stoves previously described. The two 

 handles luted on oppositely are not harmonious in design, as one of 

 them is angular and the other ovoid in outline. Six circular draft 

 perforations are located just outside the quadripodal base compart- 

 ment. A variation to be noted is the lack of an annular slab or 

 foot that supports the much constricted base of similar stove-censers. 



A compartment stove 11.5 cm. (4.5 in.) wide and 10.2 cm. (4 

 in.) high, with an upper compartment shaped like an oblong 

 shallow dish, with imperforate bottom joined to a lower compart- 

 ment at the constricted place of juncture of the five rounded lateral 

 supports, which converge at their bottom into an annular bottom 

 plate or foot, is in the Museum collections from the San Bias coast 

 (Cat. No. 327342; pi. 14, No. 3). The lower compartment of the 

 stove-censer is the fire bed. Live coals are inserted through the 

 open wedge-shaped panels, or the vessel may be inserted in a fire 

 built up to the height of the lower compartment — the open spacing 

 between the supports allowing the heat to reach the entire bottom 

 surface of the upper compartment. When used as a censer a slow 

 burning of objects, usually cacao beans, placed within produces an 

 incense smoke. 



Pitcher vases.- — -An example of an entirely different pottery design 

 is a small pitcher vase 11.5 cm. (4.5 in.) high and 14 cm. (5.5 in.) 

 wide at its greatest diameter (Cat, No. 327345, U.S.N.M. ; pi. 14, 

 No. 2), made from a clay that has been evenly fired to a red oxide. 

 The paste used contains more friable and less tenacious clay and 

 sand than is found in most of the Tule pottery vessels. The pitcher 

 vase was built up by a combined process of modeling and coilwork ; 

 finger imprints are shown on the flaring outer rim of the annular 

 foot, while the marks of a cutting implement are visible on the 

 inner surface of the flaring upper margin which, save for a spout 

 shaped like a bird bill, is identical in contour and size with the 

 annular foot. 



There is a symmetry in the proportions of this pitcher vase that 

 seems to indicate a divergent culture influence that may be ascribed 



