254 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull 177 
EREFOIMO PLAIN 
PASTE: 
Method of manufacture: Coiling; coils formed by rolling clay vertically be- 
tween palms held out in front of chest (pl. 51, 0). In small vessels a coil 
- may complete the circumference; in large ones coils are joined end to 
end. Too dry surfaces and poor kneading of joints result in frequent 
fractures on coil lines, leaving both edges smooth. Coils 1.0-1.5 cm. wide. 
Temper: Waterworn sand of variable size; majority of grains 1-2 mm. in 
diameter, but hunks 6-S mm. in maximum dimension are not unusual. 
Typically small amount, but sherds with abundant temper are occasionally 
encountered. Temper unevenly distributed, with bunched areas separated 
by sparsely tempered areas. Occasional sherds have black specks from 
accidental inclusion of organic refuse in clay. 
Texture: Poorly kneaded, giving layered appearance, with layers running 
parallel, diagonal or perpendicular to the surface. Occasional small air 
pockets. 
Color: Typically bright tile orange, rarely grayish orange. Uniform color 
through the cross-section typical. 
Firing: Oxidized (see p. 261 for ethnographic description). 
SURFACE: 
Color: Typically either bright orange like cross section or black. Those black 
on both surfaces seem to have been treated with wax or resin, or smudged 
at the end of the firing, since the black does not enter the cross section. 
Variants include black interior with light-tan exterior, and orange-gray 
interior with black exterior. Orange surfaces frequently show gray 
‘fire clouds. 
Treatment: Poorly smoothed, leaving lumps, protruding temper and ridges. 
Uneven, not smooth to feel. Occasional fine smoothing marks on exterior 
made by the edge of a gourd fragment used for scraping away excess 
clay and smoothing. 
Hardness: 3.5-4. 
Form: 
Rim: Everted and slightly thickened on exterior, with rounded, pointed, or 
flattened lip. Typically uneven, unlevel, and irregularly thickened. 
Body-wall thickness: 4-11 mm.; majority 6-9 mm. 
Base: 
A. Flat, joining sidewalls at angle of 40-60 degrees; base thickness 
equal to or slightly greater than body wall. Exterior of base oc- 
casionally slightly concave. Diameter 7-18 cm. (fig. 105, A). 
B. Flat, with the edges rising at a steep angle before joining sidewalls, 
giving the effect of a low pedestal. The pedestal is formed by a 
rise of less than 1 cm. at an angle of 60-70 degrees, at which point 
the walls slope outward at an angle of 30-50 degrees. Diameter 
8-13 cm. (fig. 105, B). 
Vessel shapes: 
1. Jar with flat base (Form A or B), walls upsloping to rounded 
shoulder, then inward to insloping or concave neck with slightly 
everted or exteriorly thickened rim. This general shape includes 
almost all Wai Wai pots used for cooking, storage, and eating, 
which differ in size and proportions but form a continuous series 
within the general shape. Rim diameter 16-50 cm., height 12-60 
em. (fig. 105; pls. 49, a, c—e, 50). 
