Linton — TJic Marquesas Islands 369 



grooves or by narrow bands of design. On account of the shape of the vessel 

 the vertical sections were wider at the top than at the bottom. Some specimens 

 show both horizontal and vertical divisions. On boxes and other oval containers 

 the arrangement of the sections appears to have been variable. 



CLASSIFICATION OF DESIGNS 



The material available for a study of container designs is limited. 

 Only one of the carved containers studied appears to belong to other than 

 the later period of European contact, and the bulk of the specimens in museums 

 are unquestionably commercial products. Most of the modern work indicates a 

 sacrifice of quality to cjuantity of production, which shows itself in slipshod work, 

 simplification of the designs used, and an increasing tendency toward angularity. 

 Each of the modern carvers has a tendency to ignore all but a few motifs, which 

 he has learned to reproduce rapidly and accurately. As a result of this the work 

 of a given carver, or that of his pupils, can at once be distinguished in a mixed 

 collection. The style of many of the older specimens seems to indicate that a 

 similar individual specialization in designs existed at least thirty or forty years 

 ago, but it is impossible to say definitely that such was the case. It is probable 

 that distinct local or individual schools of decoration existed in pre- European 

 times ; but if so, their content and difiterences can not now be established. The 

 modern carvers appear to have borrowed few, if any, European motifs, and the 

 present art is a simplified rather than a mixed one. 



The simple division of designs into angular-geometric and curvilinear, 

 used in the study of house post decorations, is unsatis factor)^ for containers. The 

 best classification appears to be as follows: (i) band decorations, (2) angular- 

 geometric designs used to fill sections, (3) design elements, (4) motifs, (5) repre- 

 sentations of natural objects. 



(i) BAND DECORATIONS 



Band decorations consist of various arrangements of dots, straight lines 

 and angles, with one arrangement of spirals, employed upon the spaces separat- 

 ing sections of design, and to some extent upon design elements. Bands appear 

 rarely, if ever, to have been used to fill sections. Band designs are shown on 

 Plate LxiT as follows: 



A. Straight parallel lines. 



B. Straight rows of dots, used either singly or in parallel. 



C. Parallel diagonal lines. 



D. Herringbone patterns. 



E. Cross-hatching. 



F. Zigzag parallel lines, either longitudinal or transverse. 



G and H. Alternate interlocking triangles, solid or filled with \"s or with lines parallel 

 to one side. 



[109] 



