﻿NO. 15 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I92I 83 



found. It is one of several localized culture areas related to but not 

 necessarily belonging to the pueblo with which it has affinity. It is 

 most closely afifiliated with that of Casas Grandes and the southern 

 part of the plateau in which it lies. The environment of this plateau 

 is Mexican, climatically speaking, and the culture will probably be 

 found to correspond. While superior to the Casas Grandes and all 

 other prehistoric Indian pottery in variety and the accuracy with 

 which human and animal figures are drawn, it shares enough with 

 it to hold a place in the same group. 



ARCHEOLOGICAL COLLECTING IN THE DOMINICAN 

 REPUBLIC 



While engaged in a biological exploration of this republic in 192 1 

 and previous years, Dr. W. L. Abbott of Philadelphia incidentally 

 made a collection of aboriginal Indian antiquities on the north coast, 

 especially around Samana Bay and the region between it and Puerto 

 Plata, as well as in other parts of the island. No systematic excava- 

 tions were attempted ; the majority of the specimens were either pur- 

 chased or otherwise obtained. The localities where individual speci- 

 mens were said to have been found are mentioned in the legends under 

 the illustrations. This accession contains many specimens, one or two 

 of which merit special notice, even if it anticipates a final report. 



There is in this collection an exceptionally good water jar of unique 

 form upon the neck of which are incised rude figures of animal or 

 human heads. The body of this jar (fig. 87), instead of being round 

 is roughly four-sided, its base flat, neck constructed bottle shaped. 

 Another bowl (fig. 88), spherical in form, is also unique and the 

 incised figure covers much of the upper surface. 



In the collections of every West Indian archeologist there are speci- 

 mens of burnt clay heads called " zemis " (idols) by the natives. 

 These objects are not idols but broken handles of bowls, portions of 

 which sometimes adhere to them. As broken specimens they teach 

 very little, but if the jar from which they were broken be restored 

 they become instructive. The results of Mr. Egbert's clever recon- 

 struction of the bowls to which three of the handles belong are shown 

 in figure 89, a, b, and c. 



The decoration of Santo Domingo pottery, like that from prehistoric 

 Porto Rico, as a rule is limited to handles or lugs of bowls and vases. 

 These heads are attached to the rims of jars or bowls and give us a 

 means of classification. They fall naturally into three distinct types : 

 First, and most common (fig. 89a), those where the handles are oppo- 

 site each other, the handle represented as looking into the bowl ; 



