160 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



[Bull. 189 



toward the compact and had to be troweled out. In Features 10 and 

 12 the fill could be lifted out by the unaided hand. 



The rest of the pits originated between 2.0 feet and 2.8 feet. These 

 were bell shaped and probably were initially intended for storage 

 purposes. When no longer needed or used for storage, they were con- 

 verted into midden disposal areas. Their overall sizes varied. Some 

 contained more midden material than others, but in general they fol- 

 lowed a pattern. ( See table 1. ) 



Table 1. — Pit measurements (feet) <md general shapes 



ARTIFACT MATERIAL 



POTTERY 



During the course of the excavations at the Hosterman site numer- 

 ous fragments of pottery, of various sizes, were found. They occurred 

 most abundantly in cache pits, in some quantity in the shallow pits 

 under house floors, in postholes, and in small isolated midden heaps. 

 Only a few were recovered while we were sectioning the fortification 

 ditch that surrounded the site proper. Pottery was practically absent 

 from the surface, since the cultural deposit was rather deeply buried. 

 Occasionally, small bits were found around a few of the gopher holes 

 or where some pot hunter had dug in the past. 



Practically all of the pottery remains were those from vessels. 

 They exhibited a paste made by mixing the natural local clays with a 

 tempering material of crushed igneous rock ; the resulting paste is quite 

 uniform insofar as hardness, color, and firing practices are concerned. 

 Color ranges from buffs and tans through browns to various shades of 

 grays to soot black. Fire clouds are fairly common. Texture is me- 



