MINDELEFF. ] COOKING PITS. 163 
r 
character with those still found in Tusayan, are frequently seen. In 
Cibola the large dome-shaped ovens, common to the Pueblos of the Rio 
Grande and to their Mexican neighbors are in general use. In Tu- 
sayan a few examples of this form of oven occur upon the roofs of the 
terraces, while the cooking pit in a variety of forms is still extensively 
used. 
The distribution of the dome-shaped ovens in Cibola and in Tusayan 
may be seen on the ground plans in Chapters ur and ty. The simplest 
form of cooking pit, still commonly used in Tusayan, consists of a de- 
pression in the ground, lined with a coating of mud. The pit is usually 
of small size and is commonly placed at some little distance from the 
house; in a few cases it is located in a sheltered corner of the building. 
Fig. 51 illustrates a series of 
three such primitive ovens built 
against a house wall, in a low 
bench or ledge of masonry Il Le it ie 
raised 6 inches aboye the 3+ lj ai Ih wil | me 
ground; the holes measure = 
about a foot across and are Fic. 51. A series of cooking pits in Mashongnavi. 
about 18 or 20 inches deep. Many similar pits occur in the Tusayan 
villages; some of them are walled in with upright stone slabs, whose 
rough edges project 6 or 8 inches above the ground, the result closely 
resembling the ancient form of in-door fireplace, such as that seen 
in a room of Kin-tiel. (Pl. Cc.) 
il 
Fia. 52. Pi-gummi ovens of Mashongnavi. 
In its perfected form the cooking pit in Tusayan takes the place of 
the more elaborate oven used in Zuni. Figs. 52 and 53 show two speci- 
Fig. 53. Cross sections of pi-gummi ovens of Mashongnavi. 
mens of pits used for the preparation of pi-gummi, a kind of baked 
mush, 
