FIFTH REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I908 



225 



used before saucers were available, Iwi replied through the inter- 

 preter, that she had heard that for large vessels the base was set 

 in a hole in the sand lined with some sort of cloth, the sand being 

 often inclosed in a basket for convenience. For small vessels, she 

 said, a saucer made of gourd was just as serviceable as one of 

 china, and as I liked the old style, she would take care to use 

 gourd supports hereafter in making pottery for me. It was her 

 custom, she continued, when making the large, flat-bottomed 

 hominy jars to set the base on the oval, flat utensil of wood before 

 mentioned, especially made for the purpose and provided with a 

 handle at either end to facilitate turning. 



The bowl-shaped base having been safely ensconced in the saucer 

 she pinched its edges thin with wet fingers ; then, rapidly rolling 

 out a lump of clay on a plank into a long thin cylinder [pi. 4] 

 she applied it just inside the rim of the base and projecting above 

 it about half its width, pinching it fast the while until the circuit 

 was completed [pi. 5]. The coil proved a bit too long, so she 

 broke the superfluous piece off and blended the two ends together 

 with care. Then by careful pinching and smoothing with wet 

 fingers and finger nails the coil was blended with the bowl-shaped 

 base and thinned at the top to receive another coil which was also 

 applied -inside. The object of applying each coil inside instead of 

 directly on top of the preceding was to produce strength by over- 

 lapping. Thus the coiling proceeded until the required form and 

 hight were reached, when the rim coil was applied outside the 

 one beneath. After being blended in the usual way this was 

 pinched into lateral protuberances, and notched, dotted or marked 

 with a sharpened stick to suit the fancy [pi. 8]. After each coil 

 had been applied and blended the vessel was allowed to dry and 

 harden a few minutes before the next one was added; and after 

 the jar had received its shape it was allowed to become quite firm 

 before the final stamping was applied. 



It will be remembered that the base of the vessel had already 

 been stamped before being placed in the saucer, so it was now only 

 necessary to strike the body briskly with the wet paddle until the 

 surface was covered with its imprints [pi. 6]. In one jar the 

 stamping was complete before the rim was added. After stamp- 

 ing the vessel was set away to dry. 



The fact that Iwi used no tools except the paddle, the marking 

 stick and her fingers seemed remarkable to me, in view of the 

 numerous smoothing tools of gourd, shell and wood employed by 



