hough 1 ANTIQUITIES OF GTLA-SALT VALLEYS 25 



in sandals; 'wrapped like Mohave work, and coiled weaving of sev- 

 eral varieties, notably the " lazy stitch," which heretofore has been 

 found in use only in southern California." 



From the variety of materials to be had in the region the Indians 

 selected twigs and splints of rhus and willow; strips of yucca, 

 dasylirion, and like plants and fiber of the same; stems of grasses 

 and rushes; bark of the grapevine; splints of reed and other nat- 

 ural vegetal products not yet identified. These data were gathered 

 from two sites — on the Blue at Bear creek and on the Tularosa near 

 its head. The series from these sites is remarkable for diversity, 

 and nowhere is found a like conjunction of so many methods of 

 weaving. 



The basketry vessels rarely show the highest technical and esthetic 

 qualities; woven designs are scarce, and instead the exterior decora- 

 tion was applied by washes in red, green, black, and white, relieved 

 on the natural color background (Blue river). Bowls; trays; mats; 

 oblong cases with lid, like Pima specimens; overlaid staffs; fan- 

 shape portions of ceremonial offerings, and of other, objects are 

 among the forms of basketry discovered in this area. 



• POTTERY 



No remains of human art and industries are more important to 

 the student of ethnology than pottery, since upon such remains 

 (which invariably bear the impress of tribal individuality and 

 environment) the origin, range, and state of culture of groups of 

 men are indicated. 



Like the basketry, the pottery of the Gila region presents within 

 a single site great diversity in form, texture, color, and ornamenta- 

 tion. Despite this variety, however, there is an unmistakable con- 

 crete likeness which indicates the unity of this great area in culture, 

 but it is not to be understood that there were no contributions to the 

 pottery of this region acquired by whatever process from other 

 regions. There are here, in fact, several types of ware common to 

 other portions of the Southwest, over and above the types whose 

 location is south of the great plateau, and which extend below the 

 international boundary into Mexico. There are found here the fol- 

 lowing kinds of pottery technic : Coiled, corrugated, mammillated, 

 and scored exterior; smooth, with filleted rim. and with geometric 

 tracery of white on the exterior (open vessels of the foregoing classes 

 have black, highly polished interior); gray (black and white), and 



"Mason, Aboriginal American Basketry, Report of United States National Museum, 

 1902, Washington, 1904. 



