Ancient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley: Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1882-83, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1886, pages 361-436 — John Shaqi
Ancient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley: Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1882-83, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1886, pages 361-436Holmes, William Henry
History
Ancient Pottery of the Mississippi Valley: Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1882-83, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1886, pages 361-436
Holmes, William Henry
Indian pottery -- Mississippi River Valley; Mississippi River Valley -- Antiquities
Another remarkable example of this use of animal forms is seen in
the vessel presented in Fig. 378. A deep globular bowl of dark,
well-polished ware is made to represent the head of an animal. A long
snout, with teeth and nostrils and accompanied by a pair of knobs for
eyes, embellishes the right side--as seen in the cut--ears appear at
the front and back, and a circular node standing, perhaps, for the
severed neck, is placed at the left. The head has a decidedly porcine
look, yet it may have been intended for a raccoon or an opossum.
Fig. 379 illustrates a large shallow bowl or pan of ordinary form
and finish. The head of a bird resembling a turkey is attached to one
side, with the bill turned inward. On the opposite side there is a
small handle-like projection that represents the bird's tail.
A vessel of somewhat extraordinary form is shown in Fig. 380. The bowl
is smaller and deeper than the last, and serves as the body of a bird,
the head and tail of which are of unusual proportions. The neck is
very long and thick and is gracefully curved, but the head is not
modeled with sufficient care to make apparent the species intended.
The vessel shown in Fig. 381 is also finished in imitation of a bird.
In this case the bird is placed upon its back, the neck and head being
looped up to form a sort of handle on one side, while the legs answer
a like purpose on the opposite side. The wings are represented by
a number of lines rudely engraved upon the sides of the vessel. The
resemblance of this bowl to the wooden basins made by Northwest Coast
Indians is very striking.
The vessel shown in Fig. 382 is one of the most unique yet brought to
light. It is a heavy, rather rudely finished bowl, to the rim of which
two grotesque heads, apparently of nondescript character, have been
attached. One resembles the oft-occurring plumed serpent of aboriginal
American art in a number of its characters. The other has a double
comb somewhat resembling that of a domestic fowl. No description
can convey as clear a conception of these monstrosities as the
accompanying illustration.
[Illustration: FIG. 383.--Heads of birds.]
[Illustration: FIG. 384.--Grotesque heads.]
A good degree of skill is shown in the modeling of varieties of birds.
A fair idea of the accuracy of these potters in this direction will be
conveyed by the series of heads shown in Fig. 383. Several species
of ducks are apparently differentiated, one of which, resembling the
summer duck closely, is given in _a_, while the head given in _b_,
although possibly also intended for a duck, is much like a grouse or
partridge. The pigeon or dove is seen in _c_, the vulture or eagle in
_d_, and the owl in _e_.
[Illustration: FIG. 385.--Bowl with grotesque head: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/3.]
[Illustration: FIG. 386.--Bowl with grotesque head: Pecan Point,
Arkansas.--1/2.]
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