Ceramic Field Identification Manual Agua Fria National Monument Project

Jeddito Yellow Ware - Type: Sikyatki Polychrome

STYLES: Early, Mid, and Late

BACKGROUND

PERIOD: Pueblo IV to Present

DATES:
Early: about A.D. 1350 (and definitely by 1375) - 1400
Late: A.D. 1400 - present

CULTURAL ASSOCIATION: Ancestral Pueblo/Hopi

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Produced in the Hopi villages. First, Second, Third, and Antelope Mesas all have some evidence for pottery production, either firing areas or chemical matches between pottery and clay sources. Jeddito Yellow Ware was traded extensively across the Southwest, though primarily in northern, central, and east-central Arizona.

DESCRIPTION

See Ware Description, except:

Temper: Usually characterized as having no temper visible at 10x magnification (Lyons and Hays-Gilpin 2001:157). When inclusions are present, they are composed of sparse, very fine quartz sand, rarely visible to the naked eye (Hays 1991:24). Finely crushed sherd very rare (Smith 1971:479). Clay may be self-tempered with small amounts of very fine sand or, occaionaly, naturally ocurring small red ferruginous particles (Smith 19971:479). Over time, temper was gradually phased out in yellow ware production (Lyons and Hays-Gilpin 2001:151).

Core Color: Generally cream to yellow. In rare cases, brownish and pinkish tones (Colton and Hargrave 1937:152).

Surface Appearance: Highly polished.

Surface Color: Creamy yellow predominates. No contrast in color between core and surface, homogenous throughout (Colton and Hargrave 1937:153).

Thickness: Bowls range in thickness from 4.2 to 8.6 mm. Jar walls range in thickness from 4.1 to 8.2 mm (Colton and Hargrave 1937:153).

Vessel Forms: Primarily bowls and ladles, jars much less common.

Rims: Bowls: incurved, maximum diameter 2 to 3 cm below rim. Jars: often flaring rims painted on inner, exposed surface with line or geometrical design (Hays 1991:25).

Paint Type: Black mineral paint on virtually every type with white and/or red on some of the polychromes. Black paints composed of iron-manganese with iron-oxide pigments (Shepard 1971:182), varing in color from a thick or watery black to brown. Red composed of hematite-based clays or other iron-rich clays (perhaps including limonite), sometimes differentially saturated to create dark yellow to orangish color contrasted with deeper reds, which are added to black designs (see Decoration section below).

Decoration: Vary greatly in skill of execution of designs. Bowl interiors and jar exteriors always decorated; bowl exteriors usually decorated; jar interiors somtimes painted on interior of flared lip (Colton and Hargrave 1937:147). Designs: Colton (1956) distinguished early geometric designs from late "free treatment" in design layout of Sikyatki Polychrome. Early Sikyatki Polychrome is composed of the addition of red (sometimes watery) paint to outline black geometric elements of Awatovi and early Jeddito Black-on-yellow designs (Hays 1991:26). Mid Sikaytki Polychrome (a further stylistic differentiation suggested by Hays-Gilpin) consists of open geometric designs with large massed areas of red (Hays 1991:26). Late Sikyatki Polychrome is composed of, in some cases, varying shades of red-orange painted designs, incorporated fully in solid design fields rather than just outlining black elements (Lyons and Hays-Gilpin 2001:26). These later designs were, essentially, curvilinear, asymmetric life forms and abstract bird designs (Adams 1991:116).

COMPARISON: Early Sikyatki Polychrome is like Awatovi and Jeddito black-on-yellows with the addition of red outlines. It is like Bidahochi Polychrome except outlines are red instead of white. Later Sikyatki Polychrome is like Jeddito Black-on-yellow but with massed red paint. Kawaioku Polychrome is a late (Post-1400) style with massed white paint in addition to red. Awatovi Polychrome is a Post-1400 type that is essentially late style Sikyatki Polychrome with engraving through the black paint.

The very latest styles of Sikyatki Polychrome resemble Matsaki Polychrome, a Post-1400 Zuni type which has thicker walls, a crackled buff or tan slip, and sherd temper.

REMARKS: Division of Sikyatki Polychrome into chronologically meaningful styles or varieties is a work in progress at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Complicating factors are different styles from different villages, apparent inmigration of clans from Eastern Pueblos and elsewhere, who may have brought new styles and iconography with them, and increasing craft specialization in some villages.

Authored by: Elizabeth Nichols