HOLMES] COLOR IN POTTERY MAKING 63 



forms, representing' and porti'aying shells, fruits, birds, boasts, and 

 men, essaying also many fanciful creations. However, for a long time 

 the fundamental purpose of vessels was that of containing, and the 

 various changes rung on their forms do not seriously interfere with 

 this normal function. 



After great skill is acquired in the handling of clay other articles are 

 manufactured, and the ceramic field is greatly enlarged; thus we have 

 implements, pipes, figurines, idols, spindle whorls, musical instru- 

 ments, and personal ornaments. 



COLOR 

 Color of Paste 



The colors observed in primitive earthen vessels are, in a great meas- 

 ure, the result of causes not regulated or foreseen by the potter; the 

 clays employed have different hues, and in the process of baking alter- 

 ations in color take place through chemical changes or through the 

 deposition of carbonaceous matter on the surfaces. The range of 

 these colors is quite lai-ge and varies with materials and processes, h)ut 

 the prevailing colors are dark reddish, yellowish, and brownish grays, 

 often unevenly distributed over the surface of the vessel. Many tribes 

 were not satisfied with the colors produced in this wa}', but submitted 

 the vessel to special processes to effect desired changes. One method, 

 already referred to and thought to be aboriginal, consisted in covering 

 the vessel with fuel which was burned in such a way as to confine the 

 smoke, thus giving a g'lossy black finish. 



When vessels are broken, it is observed that the color of the paste 

 is not uniform throughout the mass; usually the interior is darker than 

 the surface, which was exposed directly to the heat in baking and lost 

 such portions of its original coloring matter as happened to be most 

 volatile. Possibly this effect may in cases be produced by weathering, 

 or, rather, by the bleaching action of the soil in which the vessels were 

 embedded. 



Application op Color 



It was a common practice with some tribes to apply a wash of color 

 to the surface of the vase, generally to the more exposed parts of the 

 exterior only. Little is known of the manner in which the colors 

 were mixed and used. Thej' were usually applied before the baking, 

 and were always polished down with a rubbing stone. Red was the 

 favorite color. 



Du Pratz mentions the use of color by the Natchez Indians in the 

 following lines: 



On the same hill (White hill) there are veins of ocher, of which the Natchez had 

 just taken some to stain their pottery, which is very pretty; when it was besmeared 

 with ocher it became red after burning." 



The preference for particular colors may be due to a number of 



('Du Pratz. Antoine Simon Le Page, Histoirede la Louisiane, Paris, 17.^8, vol. i. p. 124. 



