642 



a finger and some 40 cm. long. The first sausage is coiled on 

 the rim of a half coconut shell, which thus acts as the nucleus 

 of the pot. The shell is placed in the ring, made of banana 

 leaves (see pi. xl., fig. 1). After the first sausage is coiled, 

 the woman joins another to its end. The coiling is done in the 

 following manner : — The free end of the clay sausage is held 

 in the left hand, the right hand joining it to the rim by the 

 pressure of thumb and forefinger (see the woman on the left 

 of pi. xl., fig. 1). At this stage of the process the successive 

 coils, though joined to each other and flattened, are to be 

 seen plainly, as well as the finger marks. The unfinished pot 

 looks, in fact, as if it were streaked horizontally and grooved 

 vertically. 



The successive coils being placed in broadening circles, the 

 pot is first shaped into a roughly conical form, and this can 

 be called the first stage in the process. (See the pots on right 

 and left on pi. xl., fig. 1). 



The next stage consists of the smoothing of the rough 

 surface, in which process the fissures between the adjoining 

 coils are obliterated, and in the imparting to the pot its final 

 form and ornamentation. The pot is first smoothed and 

 scraped. This is done by using both the palm and fingers 

 of the hand and the Venus shell referred to. Usually the shell 

 is handled with the right hand on the outer surface and the 

 left hand passed inside. The scraping and smoothing by 

 means of the shell being done upon that part of the clay 

 surface, which is supported by the open left hand (comp. pi. 

 xl., fig. 1 ; the woman in the middle). 



By the same means (shell and open palm) the final form 

 is imparted to the pot. About one-third of the distance from 

 the top of pot the original, simple conical shape is altered by 

 the formation of a waist, immediately below which the pot 

 bulges, while towards the top is opens out in a conical form. 

 This last conical portion forms what might be called a broad 

 rim or lip of the pot (cf. pi. xl., fig. 1 ; woman in the centre). 



After the completion of the upper part of the pot it is 

 taken out of the coconut shell, which so far has served as its 

 bottom, and a few coils are put in to cover the hole. These 

 are smoothed down by tapping the surface of the pot with 

 the hand and scraping it with the shell. It may be mentioned, 

 by the way, that the Mailu technique in pottery does without 

 the heating or tapping which among the Motu forms the 

 longest stage in their manufacture. In consequence of this 

 the Mailu pots are said to be of inferior quality and durability. 



The pot is now ornamented. Its rim is covered with one 

 of the traditional ornaments, of which there are some eight 

 or nine in use among the Mailu, but I failed to record them. 



