NO. 14 CADDO BURIAL SITE WALKER 9 



One method of producing the shiny-black appearance was to dip 

 the vessel in bear oil after firing. Bushnell observed this process 

 among the Choctaw and describes it thus : 



When thoroughly burned it [the pottery] turns rather dark in color, where- 

 upon it is removed from the fire and immediately immersed in a bowl of grease, 

 which is absorbed by the clay and carbonized by the intense heat. This process 

 causes the pottery to turn black and also adds a certain luster to the surface." 



The Chickasaw had a slightly different method of achieving the 

 same result. They placed the pottery over a large fire of smoky 

 pitch pine, which imparted a smooth, black, firm surface to the vessels. 

 They were then rubbed to produce the desired luster. The smoke 

 from burning corn-meal bran was employed by the Cherokee for a 

 similar purpose." 



a h 



Fig. 2. — Undecorated shell-tempered vessels. 



In the undecorated ware the shell particles are large and give a 

 noticeably speckled appearance to the vessels (pi. 4, h, d). Further- 

 more, the light and dark areas, which give such a pleasing effect, are 

 probably not intentional, but are due to uneveness of firing. This ware 

 is often poorly fired, with the result that when first exposed to the 

 air, it becomes very crumbly. Edward Payne, of Natchitoches, has 

 in his collection two such vessels, a bottle and a small jug or pitcher, 

 the identification of the latter being uncertain because a portion of 

 the rim is missing at the point where a spout would occur if it had 

 formed a part of the vessel (fig. 2). It is 6 inches in height, the 



" Bushnell, D. I., Jr., The Choctaw of Bayou Lacomb, St. Tammany Parish, 

 Louisiana. Bur. Amer. Ethnol. Bull. 48, pp. 12-13, IQOQ- 

 " Williams, S. C, Adair's history of the American Indians, p. 456, 1930. 



