608 ARCH.EOLOOICAL FIELD WORK IN ARIZONA IN 1897. 



pit or depression about the diameter of the thumb, which was present 

 in every specimen. 



It was customary for the ancient Hopi to use ceremonial masks made 

 of agave fiber which was plaited on " forms." Some of the oklest hel- 

 mets now in use were made in this way, and Mr. H. li. Voth has 

 secured one or more modern specimens of these " forms" from Oraibi. 



On my visit to Oraibi I examined the helmet forms collected by Mr. 

 Voth, and found them to be of the same material and shape as the 

 ovoid stones from the Four-Mile Ru'n, save that the Oraibi specimens 

 were somewhat smaller and destitute of the X)it in one side to which I 

 have referred. 



One of the best copper bells which I have yet found in Arizona ruins 

 was taken from a grave at Four-Mile Ruin. This bell closely resembles 

 those from the Gila Valley ruins, but is larger and better preserved 

 than that from Chaves Pass, elsewhere '^ described. 



In the graves of the north cemetery I also found a gourd rattle, 

 painted green and red. The impression of feathers on the surface of 

 this rattle indicated that it was formerly ornamented with feathers, as 

 is often true of rattles in use in the modern pnel)los. 



4^8 in former years, the majority of specimens obtained from the pre- 

 ceding ruins were pottery, and include the several classes peculiar to 

 old pueblos. A small number of decorated vessels belonged to that 

 division called black and white, or white with black line decoration, 

 and only about one per cent could be referred to the group called yellow 

 ware, which characterizes true Hopi ruins. The largest number belong 

 to the group called red ware, with black and white decorations, and 

 there were a few pieces typical of the Gii^t and Salt River valleys. 

 About the same relative proportion of rough and coiled ware was found 

 in the ruins excavated in 1897 as in previous years, and as a rule the 

 forms of these vessels were identical. One of the most symmetrical 

 specimens was a globular jug made of red ware with black decoration. 

 This jug had a long neck and a graceful handle, ornamented with 

 highly conventionalized figures of birds drawn in a glossy black. 



Two of the bowls from Four-Mile Ruin were ornamented with human 

 figures which are strikingly different from any that have yet been found 

 on ancient Arizona pottery. On the head of one of these there was 

 represented a radiating crown of feathers, recalling certain headdresses 

 worn in ceremonial dances among the modern i)ueblos. There was 

 represented on each elbow of another figure a conventionalized feather, 

 which I have also seen in figures on bowls from Sikyatki. 



One of the best reptilian figures was drawn on a food bowl of chest- 

 nut color almost identical with the pottery from Chevlon Ruin, exca- 

 vated in 1896. There were numerous figures of birds, the majority of 

 which were highly conventionalized, but having little in common witli 

 the elaborate bird designs of Sikyatki. In no instance was the decora- 

 tion as carefully drawn as the pictography of the last-mentioned ruin. 



1 Smithsonian Report for 1896. 



