a 

 u 



; 



THE CLIFF VILLAGES OF THE RED ROCK COUNTRY. 583 



of almost all kinds of household utensils, food basins, jars, vases, medi- 

 cine bowls, ladles, dippers, and cups. 



The colors used in their decoration are red, brown, yellow, and 

 black; and while many pieces are not decorated, these are exceptional, 

 as the figures have in several instances been obliterated by age or wear 

 in household use before burial. A method of ornamentation by spat- 

 tering with pigment was popular, and details of some of the more elabo- 

 rate figures are helped out by finely incised lines made after painting. 

 The food basins were most elaborately decorated on their interiors; 

 vases on the exterior. While in this respect cups were more like the 

 former, dippers resembled the latter, when ornamentation was employed. 



In considering the ornamental symbolism of the Sikyatki pottery, 

 much aid can be had from present belief of the Indians, and some help 

 may be derived from the character of modern symbolic decorations. 

 Many symbols can be interpreted by these aids; more are unintelli- 

 gible and the knowledge of the most intelligent of the living priests 

 can shed only an uncertain light on some of the more elaborate figures 

 employed in ornamentation. The paleography of old Tusayan is yet 

 to be satisfactorily deciphered, and will tax the closest attention of the 

 student. 



For purposes of study, the symbolism of the Sikyatki pottery is 

 grouped under three headings, according to the objects represented. 

 I will briefly consider pictures from each of these groups, which may 

 be designated as follows: (1) Figures of anthropomorphic gods and 

 human beings; (2) figures of animals and plants; (3) geometric designs, 

 terraces, bars, frets, and spirals. 



The collection of bowls with figures of supernal and human beings 

 are among the most interesting. The favorite organ of the human 

 body to delineate Avas the hand, which is often beautifully drawn and 

 decorated. As a rule, however, figures of animals are better made than 

 those of men, and even more care seemed to have been given to purely 

 conventional patterns than to accurate delineations of objects by which 

 the artist was surrounded. Decorations often betray the antiquity of 

 modern customs. As is well known the unmarried women of the modern 

 Tusayan towns dress their hair in two coils, one over each ear, but 

 after marriage their coiffure is of a wholly different character. In idols 

 used in secret ceremonials the heads of female personages are indicated 

 in the same way. The figures on several of the food basins from Sik. 

 atki show that this peculiar method of dressing the hair is a very old 

 one among these people. At the time of Corouado, in 1540, it was 

 regarded so singular by the Spaniards, that one of the chignons used 

 by the Indians was sent with other presents to the King. We now 

 know that the fashion was older even than this, for Sikyatki was a ruin 

 before Coronado's time, and no one can tell how long before pious rever- 

 ence placed food basins with pictures of women whose hair was dressed 

 in this fashion in Sikvatki craves, The hair dresser knows of few 



