﻿502 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPOET 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  19 
  2 
  9 
  

  

  tion; 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  circles 
  are 
  etched 
  on 
  one 
  surface, 
  while 
  the 
  third 
  is 
  

   spaced 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  but 
  impressed 
  from 
  the 
  opposite 
  surface. 
  

  

  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  decorative 
  designs 
  on 
  shell, 
  wood, 
  terra 
  cotta, 
  and 
  

   other 
  objects 
  of 
  aboriginal 
  provenience 
  from 
  Haiti 
  and 
  Santo 
  Domingo 
  

   reveals 
  many 
  similar 
  circle 
  and 
  dot, 
  angular 
  spur, 
  and 
  concentric 
  

   circle 
  designs, 
  also 
  terminal 
  line 
  etchings 
  and 
  punctations. 
  

  

  POTTERY 
  

  

  The 
  making 
  of 
  earthenware 
  forms 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  World 
  is 
  generally 
  

   coincident 
  with 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  maize 
  and 
  cassava 
  (yucca). 
  Another 
  

   pottery 
  making 
  area 
  is 
  the 
  extreme 
  northwest 
  coast 
  of 
  North 
  America 
  

   where 
  the 
  Eskimo 
  have 
  developed 
  a 
  pottery 
  associated 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  

   technic 
  with 
  Siberian 
  forms. 
  The 
  Alaska-Siberian 
  pottery 
  area 
  is 
  

   characterized 
  by 
  a 
  technic 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  vessel 
  is 
  worked 
  from 
  a 
  solid 
  

   mass 
  of 
  clay 
  and 
  then 
  fired 
  by 
  simply 
  placing 
  over 
  a 
  fire 
  as 
  in 
  use. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  pottery 
  making 
  area 
  of 
  North 
  and 
  South 
  

   America, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  vessel 
  is 
  built 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  

   process 
  of 
  coiling. 
  The 
  coil 
  method 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  aborigines 
  of 
  

   southeastern 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  lowland 
  areas 
  of 
  tropical 
  South 
  

   America 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  pottery 
  was 
  fashioned 
  by 
  coiling, 
  molding 
  being 
  

   resorted 
  to 
  in 
  shaping 
  the 
  symbolic 
  decorative 
  designs 
  and 
  the 
  repre- 
  

   sentative 
  figurine 
  heads 
  which 
  were 
  luted 
  onto 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  vessels 
  

   as 
  handle 
  lugs. 
  Quite 
  a 
  large 
  variation 
  in 
  surface 
  coloring 
  was 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  through 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  slips, 
  mineral 
  and 
  vegetable 
  (Bixa) 
  

   paints 
  before 
  firing, 
  or 
  by 
  afterwards 
  washing 
  with 
  kaolin. 
  The 
  paints 
  

   and 
  slips 
  applied 
  before 
  firing 
  are 
  fixed 
  while 
  the 
  white 
  of 
  the 
  kaolin 
  

   is 
  readily 
  removed 
  by 
  washing 
  the 
  vessel 
  in 
  water. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  

   distinctions 
  are 
  accompanied 
  with 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  paste, 
  smoothness 
  

   of 
  finish, 
  decorative 
  design 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  lesser 
  degree, 
  in 
  form. 
  On 
  the 
  

   basis 
  of 
  several 
  combinations 
  of 
  these 
  characteristics 
  we 
  may 
  speak 
  of 
  

   (a) 
  unpainted 
  ware; 
  (6) 
  painted 
  ware. 
  The 
  unpainted 
  ware 
  may 
  again 
  

   be 
  classified 
  as 
  terra 
  cotta 
  or 
  as 
  black 
  incised, 
  while 
  the 
  painted 
  ware 
  

   readily 
  falls 
  under 
  the 
  classification 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  coloring 
  of 
  the 
  

   inner 
  and 
  outer 
  walls 
  as 
  red, 
  white, 
  salmon, 
  maroon, 
  and 
  polychrome. 
  

   It 
  will 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  this 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  pottery 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  

   Indian 
  Island 
  Arawak 
  is 
  less 
  complex 
  than 
  is 
  that 
  invented 
  by 
  Holmes, 
  

   MacCurdy, 
  and 
  others 
  in 
  describing 
  the 
  ancient 
  pottery 
  of 
  Panama 
  and 
  

   Central 
  America. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  frequently 
  been 
  asserted 
  that 
  pottery 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Caribs 
  

   was 
  superior 
  to 
  that 
  fashioned 
  by 
  the 
  island 
  Arawak 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  

   firing, 
  slips 
  and 
  paints, 
  paste, 
  and 
  surface 
  finish. 
  We 
  now 
  have 
  a 
  

   more 
  comprehensive 
  knowledge 
  of 
  aboriginal 
  pottery 
  forms 
  from 
  

   Haiti 
  and 
  find 
  the 
  statement 
  no 
  longer 
  adequate. 
  If 
  we 
  include 
  the 
  

   polychrome 
  fragments 
  from 
  Porto 
  Rico, 
  we 
  must 
  now 
  give 
  aboriginal 
  

  

  