66 ABORIGINAL POTTERY OF EASTERN UNITED STATES [eth.ann.20 



KELIEVEI) OEXAMENT 



The modeling of animal forms constituted a ]iroiiiincnt feature of the 

 potter's art in the Mississippi valley as well as in some other sections. 

 Asa rule the tigui'es were modeled, in part at least, in the round, and 

 were attached to or foi-med essential parts of the vase. Usually, no 

 doubt, they had a symbolic office, but their decorative \'alue was not 

 lost sight of, and the forms graded imperceptibly into conventional 

 relieved features that to all appearances were purely decorative. 



Decorative designs of a pui-ely conventional character were often 

 executed in both low and salient relief. This was generally accom- 

 plished by the additioii of nodes and fillets of clay to the plain surfaces 

 of the vessel. Fillets were applied in various ways over the body, 

 forming horizontal, oblitiue, and vertical bands or ribs. When placed 

 about the rim or neck, these fillets were often indented with the finger or 

 an implement so as to imitate, rudely, a heavy twisted cord — a feature 

 evidently borrowed from l)asketry or copied from cords used in mending 

 or handling earthen vessels. Nodes were also attached in various ways 

 to the neck and booty of the vessel, sometimes covering it as with spines. 

 In some cases the entire surface of the larger vessels was varied by 

 pinching up small l)its of clay between the nails of the fingers and the 

 thum)). An implement was sometuues used to produce a similar result. 



IXTAnLKl ORNAMENT 



The esthetic tendencies of the potters are well shown by their 

 essays in engraving. The}' worked with points on both the plastic 

 and the sun-dried clay, and possibly at times on the fire-baked surface. 

 Figures thus produced exhibit a wide I'ange of artistic achievement. 

 They illustrate all stages of progress from the most archaic tj'pe of 

 ornament — the use of loosely associated dots and straight lines — to the 

 most elegant combinations of curves, and the delineation of life forms 

 and fanciful conceptions. 



In many cases when a blunt implement was employed, the line was 

 produced b}- a trailing movement. The result is quite distinct from 

 that of incision, in which a sharp point is used, and excision or exca- 

 vation which is more easily accomplished with the end of a hollow reed 

 or bone. The application of textile fabrics giving impressions of the 

 mesh was very general, and engraved paddles were used to give simi- 

 lar effects. These topics are treated at length elsewhere in this paper. 

 Reijousse work, which consisted in punching up nodes bj- applying a 

 blunt tool to the opposite side of the vessel wall, was common in some 

 localities. 



PAINTED ORNAMENT 



The use of color in decorating earthenware marks a very decided 

 advance beyond the inceptive stage of the art. Vessels to lie emplo^'cd 

 in ordinary culinary work needed no surface ornament, and could not 

 retain it during use. When differentiation of use had made some prog- 



