Tusayan black on white tradition dates were in northwestern New Mexico by 1500, but we do not know where they were before that. During Pueblo II, good stone masonry replaced the pole-and-adobe architecture of Pueblo I, the surface rooms became year-round habitations, and the pithouses now completely u probably assumed the largely ceremonial role of the pueblo kiva. The region associated with the Tusayan tradition spans north to south, from about the Little Colorado River on the southern boundary, north to the San Juan River where the Four Corners meet. Ute and Paiute sites are very north to distinguish from Anasazi campsites, and we may not be recognizing them. The following table may help the reader understand where archaeologists have drawn the lines between one prehistoric ware and the next see Goetze and Mills 1993:27—29 for further assistance. Culture: Navaho Culture Area: Colorado Idea Date Acquired: 1966 October 8 Dimensions: 9. Richard Ambler and Marc Gaede, The Anasazi 1977 ; and Linda S. It is certainly possible that they were in San Juan County shortly after that. About Native American Traditions of Southwest North America The first vessels of the Southwest prime of North America were woven baskets and string bags used for transportation, storage, and other needs.
The anthropology artifacts collection contains a wide range of items that document the material culture from around the world and was received as gifts. The artifact descriptions were created from existing information created near the time of acquisition as well as research conducted by students. References Cited: Anthropology Laboratories of Northern Arizona University 2008 Dogoszhi Black on White. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. New York: Cambridge University Press. New York: The Ronald Press Company. A string with a metal ring is wound around the neck of the bowl. References Cited: Dutton, Bertha P. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. New York: The Ronald Press Company. Tschopik, Harry 1941 Navaho Pottery Making: An Inquiry into the Affinities of Navaho Painted Pottery. Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University 17 1. Cambridge, MA: Peabody Museum. Use and Background: Eric Blinman, director of the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies, thought this piece could be a Navaho piece from the Colorado Plateau made in the early 20th century e-mail communication, December 8, 2008. According to Tschopik, the pointed bottom and string around the neck most resemble a cooking vessel. Since the pointed bottom makes the vessel unstable, dirt or rocks propped it up and live coals were heaped around the vessel to promote heating. The string around the neck is probably made of buckskin and was helpful for handling, especially when hot. The extra coil of clay around the neck is also typical of Navaho cooking ware, it was applied while the vessel was newly formed and still wet. Small cooking vessels such as this one were occasionally used in ceremonies for mixing water and herbs as medicine Tschopik 1941:8, 13, 28. The Wheaton College Museum Card File WCMCF listed this vessel as a medicine bowl so it may have been used in such ceremonies. Navaho pottery was formed by first flattening out a piece of clay to act as the base and placing rolled clay rings on top of the base to form the sides of the vessel Tschopik 1941:23. In the Southwest, primarily women made pottery. The knowledge of where and how to gather and mix clay, along with instructions on forming, firing, and painting were passed on from mother to daughter for generations Dutton 1975:244. The presence of pottery indicates, as with the Navaho culture, that there was relative stability and the people lived a more sedentary and agriculturally rooted life Seton 1962:184. Culture: Navaho Culture Area: Colorado Plateau Date Acquired: 1966 October 8 Dimensions: 9. Bowl has been cracked into five pieces and is now glued together. References Cited: Anthropology Laboratories of Northern Arizona University 2008 Tusayan Black on White. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. New York: Cambridge University Press. New York: The Ronald Press Company. Use and Background: Eric Blinman, director of the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies, thinks this bowl is probably from the late 12th century or early 13th century e-mail communication, December 8, 2008. Blinman places it in the Anasazi Kayenta culture of northeastern Arizona and classifies it as part of the Tusayan black on white pottery tradition. Tusayan black on white pottery has organic paint, is fired in a reducing atmosphere, has slip, is slightly polished, and many have sawtooth lines, as is present in this piece Anthropology Laboratories of Northern Arizona University, electronic document. Organic paints, such as this one, were normally made from minerals or a plant extract Shepard 1965:33, 71. The Kayenta produced both corrugated and painted wares, this black on white vessel is just one of four color schemes for painted vessels in the Kayenta tradition Fiedel 1987:220. The Anasazi, and most of the Southwest, formed pottery pieces by coiling rolls of clay on top of each other to form the sides of the vessel and then smoothed the gaps between the coils Shepard 1965:185. In the Southwest, primarily women made pottery. The knowledge of where and how to gather and mix clay, along with instructions on forming, firing, and painting were passed on from mother to daughter for generations Dutton 1975:244. The presence of pottery indicates, as with the Anasazi culture, that there was relative stability and the people moved from a nomadic life to a more sedentary and agriculturally rooted life Seton 1962:184. Culture: Anasazi Kayenta Culture Area: Northeastern Arizona Date Acquired: 1966 October 8 Dimensions: 8. Of the Black Mesa black on white style. Base has broken off and is lost. References Cited: Anthropology Laboratories of Northern Arizona University 2008 Black Mesa Black on White. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. New York: Cambridge University Press. New York: The Ronald Press Company.
