Record of Past Written in Pottery

SEPTEMBER, 1933 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 9 Record of Past Written in Pottery Decorated Ollas, Bowls and Pieces of Clay Tell Story of Early Southwest

By CLARA LEE FRAPS TABLETS of stone, marked with strange figures called "hieroglyphs", tell the story of the ancient civilization of the Egyptian people. Queer wedge-shaped figures, cuneiform writing, recorded the events of historic time in the Valley of Mesopotamia. The Mayan Indians of the Peninsula of Yucatan made permanent their history in hieroglyphic writings in color on "amatl", a native paper, or on deerskin parchment, or, in the same characters, engraved records on the surfaces of stone tablets.

How was the story recorded in the Southwestern part of the United States? Did these people have any writing at all, and if so, of what type? Not even the simplest hieroglyphic system was evolved by the early Indians of this region, not even a crude cursive or linear script in unknown characters. A few symbols of sun, lightning, or similar elements in nature, an animal depiction here and there, color symbolism as met with in ceremonial drawings-these are the nearest approaches to "writing" that these people ever achieved.

The story of the Southwest, then, must be sought through channels other than in writing. Architecture tells something of development among the people themselves, destroyed villages record in a grim way the inroads of warring tribes; timbers, or even remnants of them in charred fragments, reveal dates of construction of a pueblo or tell of the addition of a new room. But architecture, as other culture traits, tells part of the story only. What about the artistic instinct of the people? What of individual ability? What of the legends and traditions of the Indians? The story of the prehistoric Southwest is made more complete in the colorful recital of pottery-in small broken fragments of sherds, in complete pieces, in small bowls and large ollas, in simple and complicated designs.

The story told by pottery begins in the centuries before Christ, when the Indians were still living a simple andprimitive life in caves. For many generations the women had been weaving baskets and bags as containers and these textile products even served the purpose of cooking pot. One day some ingenious individual suggested the lining of a basket with clay. Perhaps that same clay-lined basket was pushed a bit too close to the fire; the basket burned away and left a hardened, though badly cracked piece of pottery. Being familiar with grasses in weaving, a bit of grass or bark was added to those first clay vessels; as a result all of the early pieces were kept away from fires or were "unbaked", for fireing or baking would have spoiled the potter's product. They were dried and hardened in the sun.

Wishing to produce a more serviceable and lasting vessel, a potter one day substituted coarse grains of sand or quartzite for the fiber "temper" which had been commonly used before. In so doing, that same potter made it possible to burn a pot. These first fired pieces are important, for from this time on-ward all clay vessels were subjected to the heat of fire. Because of that the fragments or whole clay vessels have withstood the rigors of time. No ancient village site is minus at least a few and more often many evidences of the potter's art.

ward all clay vessels were subjected to the heat of fire. Because of that the fragments or whole clay vessels have withstood the rigors of time. No ancient village site is minus at least a few and more often many evidences of the potter's art.

The early caveman's or woman'seffort at vessel making was not only coarse in texture and thick walled, but also was undecorated. It was in the second phase, the Early Pueblo Period, that the potter learned to add a bit of color to the rather dirty white clay of the vase. Vessels were better madethat is, walls were thinner, clays not quite so coarse; hence the potter had some incentive to add a touch of decoration. Again the weaver's art offered assistance designs had been woven into or painted on baskets and sandals. The potter borrowed those same designs of lines, dots, triangles. Perhaps even the colors were suggested in the dull black of basket design.

Few and simple were basket shapes (Continued on Page 22)