Ancient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley Part 4

Vessels of this cla.s.s were probably not devoted to the ordinary uses of cooking and serving food. They are handsome in shape, tasteful in decoration, and generally of small dimensions. They are found, as are all other forms, buried with the dead, placed by the head or feet, or within reach of the hands. Their appearance is not suggestive of their original office, as there is no indication of wear, or of use over fire.

FORM.--I include under this head a series of forms reaching from the wide-mouthed pot to the well-developed bottle. They really correspond closely to the high-necked bottles in all respects save in height of neck, and the separation is therefore for convenience of treatment only. The following ill.u.s.tration (Fig. 406) will give a good idea of the forms included.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 406.--Forms of jar-shaped bottles.]

There are also many eccentric and many extremely interesting life forms included in this group. A number of vases, modeled after the human head, are, by their general outline, properly included.

ORNAMENTATION.--The rims, bodies, and bases are embellished much after the fas.h.i.+on of the vessels already described, with the exception that handles or handle-like appendages or ornaments seldom appear. The painted designs are in one, two, or three colors, and the incised figures have been executed both in the soft and in the thoroughly dried clay.

The style of execution is often of a very high order, especially in some of the more southerly examples, a number of which are from the mounds of Mississippi and Louisiana. We note the fact that in a few of the designs there is a slight suggestion of Mexican forms.

In ill.u.s.trating this group, I am compelled, for the want of s.p.a.ce to omit many interesting examples. I present only such as seem to me especially instructive.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 407.--Bottle: Pecan Point, Arkansas.]

ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.--_Ordinary forms._--The vessel shown in Fig. 407 may be taken as a type of a very large cla.s.s. It is most readily described as a short-necked, wide-mouthed bottle. It is symmetrical in shape and very nicely finished. The lip is supplied with a narrow, horizontal rim. The body expands somewhat abruptly from the base of the upright neck to the squarish shoulder, and contracts below in an even curve, giving a hemispherical base. There are a mult.i.tude of variations from this outline, a few of which are suggested in Fig. 406. These vessels are nearly all of the dark, grayish-brown, fire-mottled ware. A few are yellowish, and such are often painted red or decorated with designs in red and white.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 408.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 409.--Bottle: Arkansas.--1/3.]

Two charming vases are shown in Figs. 408 and 409. The surface finish is in both cases very superior. The lines of the figures are carefully drawn, and seem to have been produced by the trailing, under even pressure, of a smooth rather blunt point. It is difficult to get so nicely finished and even a line by simple incision, or by excavating the clay. The design in Fig. 408 consists of eight groups of curved lines arranged in pairs, which are separated by plain vertical bands.

It might be considered an interrupted or imperfectly connected form of the running scroll. This grouping of lines is frequently met with in the decorative designs of the Southern States. The design upon the other vase, Fig. 409, is still more characteristic of the South. It consists of an encircling row of round, shallow indentations, about which series of incised scrolls are linked, and of two additional rows of depressions, one above and the other below, through which parallel lines are drawn.

Many other interesting ill.u.s.trations of the simpler forms could be given, but nearly all are very similar in their more important features to the examples that precede or follow.

As skilled as these peoples were in modeling life forms, and in engraving geometric devices, they seem rarely to have attempted the linear representation of life forms. We have, however, two very good examples.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 410.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.]

The first of these is shown in outline in Fig. 410. It is a large bottle embellished with four rude drawings of the human figure, executed with a sharp point in the soft clay. Height of vessel, eight inches.

The work is characteristic of a very early stage of art. The figures could be duplicated in the work of the ancient Pueblos, and in the pictographic art of many of our savage tribes. They are probably derived from symbolic art, and possibly relate to the guardians of the four points of the compa.s.s, or to some similar mythical characters.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 411.--Engraved bottle: Arkansas.--3/4.]

The work upon the neat little bottle, presented in Fig. 411, is of the same cla.s.s as the above but of a much higher grade, both in execution and conception. The engraved design is one of the most remarkable ever obtained from the mounds. It consists of two winged and crested rattlesnakes, which encircle the most expanded part of the vessel, and of two sunflower-like figures, alternating with them. These designs are very carefully engraved with a needle-like point, and are adjusted to the form of the vase in a way that suggests forethought and an appreciation of the decorative value of the figures. By dint of rubbings, photographs and sketches, I have obtained the complete drawing of the various figures which are given in Fig. 412 on a scale of one-half the original.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 412.--Engraved design.--1/2.]

The serpent, especially the rattlesnake, has always taken a leading place in the mythology and the art of the more cultured American races, and crest-plumes, and wings have often been considered its proper attributes. The conventional method of representation is also characteristically aboriginal. The plumes, the figure connected with the eye, the bands upon the neck, the stepped figures of the body, and the semi-circular patches on the wings are all characters that appear again and again in the ancient art of the United States. The peculiar emblematic treatment of the heart is almost universal in temperate North America. And just here I may be permitted to suggest that the remarkable feature of the great earth-work serpent of Adams county, Ohio, which has been regarded as the "symbolic egg," and which in its latest phase has become the issue of a frog and the prey of the serpent, is possibly intended for the heart of the serpent, the so-called frog being the head. The rosette figures are not often duplicated in Indian art. There can be little doubt that the figures of this design are derived from mythology.

_Eccentric forms._--A form of vessel of which civilized men make peculiar use is depicted in Fig. 413. There is a marked resemblance to a common tea-pot. A very few examples have been found, two of which are ill.u.s.trated in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology.

The specimen here given is well made and carefully finished. The neck is low and wide, and the body is a compressed sphere. The spout is placed upon one side and a low k.n.o.b upon the other. The absence of a handle for grasping indicates that the vessel was probably not intended for boiling water. These characters are uniform in all the specimens that have come to my notice. Two small circular depressions occur on the sides of the vessel alternating with the spout and the k.n.o.b and with these features form centers for four rosettes of involute incised lines. The origin of this form of vessel is suggested by a fine red piece from "Mississippi," now in the national collection. The k.n.o.b is the head of a turtle or other full-bodied reptile, and the spout takes the place of the creature's tail. Many of the animal-shaped vases would resemble this form closely if an opening were made through the top of the body and through the tail.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 413.--Teapot-shaped vessel: Arkansas.--1/3.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 414.--Vessel of eccentric form: Arkansas.--1/3.]

In connection with the teapot-like vessels it will be well to describe another novel form not wholly unlike them in appearance, an example being shown in Fig. 414. The shoulder is elongated on opposite sides into two curved, horn-like cones, which give to the body a somewhat crescent-shaped outline. It is of the ordinary plain, dark ware, and has had a low stand or base which is now broken away.

The specimen given in Fig. 415 has been considerably mutilated, but evidently belongs to the same cla.s.s as the preceding. It probably also resembled the vessel which follows; it serves at least as a link between the two. The body is ornamented with carelessly drawn, deeply incised, involute designs.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 415.--Vessel of eccentric form: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 416.--Animal-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/3.]

_Life forms._--A further elaboration of the preceding forms is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 416. On one side the conical projection is greatly elongated and fas.h.i.+oned to resemble the head of some grotesque beast, with horns, expanded nostrils, and grinning mouth. The opposite point is elongated and looped, forming a tail, while the base of the body is furnished with four feet. On the sides of the vessel are engraved figures, consisting of cl.u.s.ters of involute lines, as in the specimen just given. It is of the ordinary dark pottery, and was obtained at Pecan Point.

Equally noteworthy as plastic representations are the two examples that follow. The vessel shown in Fig. 417 is modeled in imitation of a sunfish. The body is much flattened and is neatly polished. The head is well modeled, as are also the fins and tail. Many examples of this form are found, some of which are elaborately treated, the scales being minutely shown. The body of the fish is sometimes placed in the natural upright position, the neck of the vessel rising from the back, producing a lenticular shape.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 417.--Sunfish vase: Arkansas.--1/3.]

The animal so carefully modeled in the vessel given in Fig. 418 resembles a racc.o.o.n or an opossum. The mouth of the vessel is wide and the neck upright and short. The body is ornamented with a pattern made up of triangular groups of incised lines, which may or may not be meant for hair.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 418.--Opossum vase: Arkansas.--2/3.]

The love of modeling life forms shows itself again in the little vase ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 419. The head of some animal, rudely suggested, projects from one side, while a curved tail on the other carries out the idea of the complete creature. The round body is decorated with broad vertical lines in dark red. A red line encircles the rim.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 419.--Animal-shaped vase: Arkansas.--1/3.]

It is not strange that a people who had successfully engaged in the modeling of life forms, and especially the heads of animals, should attempt the human head. Their remarkable success in this direction is shown in a number of vases, one of which is given in Fig. 420. This and kindred peoples had made considerable progress in carving in stone and other materials, evincing a decided talent for sculpture; but clay is so much more readily manipulated than either wood, stone, or sh.e.l.l, that we are not surprised to find their best work in that material.

It is an interesting fact that with all this cleverness in the handling of clay, and in the delineation of varied models, the art had not freed itself from the parent stem--the vessel--and launched out into an independent field. In a few cases such an end seems to have been achieved by certain groups of mound builders, notably those whose works at Madisonville, Ohio, have recently been explored by Professor Putnam. Modeling in clay was probably confined to vessels for the reason that, through their humble agency, the art was developed.

Up to the present time I have met with but eight of these curious head-shaped vases. All were obtained from the vicinity of Pecan Point, Arkansas, and, like other vessels, have been a.s.sociated with human remains in graves or mounds. It is true that in all cases the bones of the dead have not been found, but this only indicates their complete decay. The question as to whether or not these vases were made exclusively for sepulchral purposes must remain unanswered; there is no source of information upon the subject. Such a purpose is, however, suggested in this case by the semblance of death given to the faces.

The finest example yet found is shown in Fig. 420. In form it is a simple head, five inches in height and five inches wide from ear to ear. The aperture of the vase is in the crown, and is surrounded by a low, upright rim, slightly recurved. The cavity is roughly finished, and follows pretty closely the contour of the exterior surface, excepting in projecting features such as the ears, lips, and nose.

The walls are generally from one-eighth, to one-fourth of an inch in thickness, the base being about three-eighths. The bottom is flat, and takes the level of the chin and jaws.

The material does not differ from that of the other vessels of the same locality. There is a large percentage of sh.e.l.l, some particles of which are quite large. The paste is yellowish gray in color and rather coa.r.s.e in texture. The vase was modeled in the plain clay and permitted to harden before the devices were engraved. After this a thick film of fine yellowish-gray clay was applied to the face, partially filling up the engraved lines. The remainder of the surface, including the lips, received a thick coat of dark red paint. The whole surface was then highly polished.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 420.--Head-shaped vase: Pecan Point, Arkansas.--1/2.]

The ill.u.s.tration will convey a more vivid conception of this striking head than any description that can be given. The face cannot be said to have a single feature strongly characteristic of Indian physiognomy. We have instead the round forehead and the projecting mouth of the African. The nose, however, is small and the nostrils are narrow. The face would seem to be that of a youngish person, perhaps a female. The features are all well modeled, and are so decidedly individual in character that the artist must have had in his mind a pretty definite conception of the face to be produced as well as of the expression appropriate to it, before beginning his work. It will be impossible, however, to prove that the portrait of a particular personage was intended. The closed eyes, the rather sunken nose, and the parted lips were certainly intended to give the effect of death.

The ears are large, correctly placed, and well modeled; they are perforated all along the margin, thus revealing a practice of the people to whom they referred. The septum of the nose appears to have been pierced, and the horizontal depression across the upper lip may indicate the former presence of a suspended ornament.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 421.--The engraved figures.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 422.--Head covering.]

Perhaps the most unique and striking feature is the pattern of incised lines that covers the greater part of the face. The lines are deeply engraved and somewhat "scratchy," and were apparently executed in the hardened clay before the slip was applied. The left side of the face is plain, with the exception of a figure somewhat resembling a grappling hook in outline which partially surrounds the eye. The right side is covered with a comb-like pattern, placed vertically, with the teeth upwards. The middle of the forehead has a series of vertical lines and a few short horizontal ones just above the root of the nose.

There are also three curved lines near the corner of the mouth not shown in the cut.

The diagram presented herewith (Fig. 421) gives in dotted lines the correct outline of the front face, and shows projected in solid lines the engraved figures. The significance of these markings can only be surmised in the most general way. Their function is probably the same as that of the tattooed and painted figures upon the faces of living races.

It will be well to observe that upon the forehead, at the top, there is a small perforated k.n.o.b or loop. Similar appendages may be seen upon many of the clay human heads from this valley. A Mexican terra-cotta head now in the museum at Mexico has a like feature, and, at the same time, has closed eyes and an open mouth.