92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 92 
Paddle-marked pottery is of two kinds. The earlier and more 
widely distributed is that in which a cord-wrapped implement was 
applied over the entire exterior surfaces of the vessels. Pottery so 
treated is one of the most typical features at prehistoric Upper Re- 
publican Aspect sites scattered throughout the drainages of the Smoky 
Hill, Solomon, Republican, Blue, Loup, and upper Elkhorn Rivers 
(Wedel, 1935; Strong, 1935, p.247). It appears also in many Nebraska 
Aspect sites and sparingly in the Middle Mississippi horizon. Heavier, | 
coarser pottery, similarly cord-roughened, characterizes the limited 
ceramic collections from numerous unexcavated Woodland sites in 
nearly all parts of Nebraska and in northern Kansas. Both Upper 
Republican and Woodland potteries are grit-tempered and belong to 
the prehistoric period. 
Usually, though not always, readily distinguishable from the cord- 
roughened wares is another paddle-marked pottery in which vessel 
surfaces have a more or less corrugated appearance. ‘The ridges, 3 to 
6mm. apart, are generally parallel or nearly so, but in some cases they 
converge or appear to cross one another. ‘They vary in length from 
1 to 6 or 8 cm. but are seldom straight or continuously traceable for 
more than 2 or 3 cm. Sometimes one block of impressions is sur- 
rounded by others applied at different angles; or the ridges alternate 
somewhat from one series to the next so as to give the effect of a 
plaited fabric. Less common are crisscrossed, herringbone, or chevron 
patterns. We know of no instances where curvilinear impressions 
have been found. The markings have usually been rubbed down and 
partially obliterated, either by design or incidentally through usage, 
and it is often extremely difficult to determine their exact form. 
This type of surface treatment is highly characteristic of the proto- 
historic and historic pottery of the Pawnee area in east-central 
Nebraska (pl. 18, a, 6). It has been found at protohistoric village 
sites in Scott County, Kans., and Chase County, Nebr., which are 
provisionally assigned to the Dismal River horizon. In Rice, Me- 
Pherson, and Cowley Counties, Kans., it appears repeatedly on many 
sherds for which a Wichita origin has been suggested (Wedel, 1942). 
With it here is a small but consistent proportion of cord-roughened 
pottery; associated Puebloan sherds have been identified as late Rio 
Grande glaze wares dating circa 1525-1650. Similar markings are 
found on much of the pottery from the Mandan and Arikara areas in 
North and South Dakota. In Nebraska and Kansas this type of 
surface finish appears to be virtually limited to sites and archeological 
horizons of the contact period. We know of no published record 
of its occurrence at sites assignable to such prehistoric complexes as 
the Upper Republican, the Woodland, the Nebraska Aspect, or the 
