Spruce-tree House. These consist of a succession of holes for hands
and feet, or of a series of pits cut in the face of the cliff at
convenient distances. One of these ancient trails is situated on the
west side of the canyon not far from the modern trail to the spring;
the other lies on the east side a few feet north of the ruin. Both
of these trails were appropriately labeled for the convenience of
future visitors. There is still another ancient trail along the east
canyon wall south of the ruin. Although all these trails are somewhat
obscure, it is hoped that they can be readily found by means of the
labels posted near them.
REFUSE-HEAPS
In the rear of the buildings are two large open spaces which, from
their positions relative to the main street, may be called the
northern and southern refuse-heaps. They merit more than passing
consideration. The former, being the larger, has not yet been
thoroughly cleared out, although pretty well dug over before the
repair work was begun. The author completely cleared out the southern
refuse-heap and excavated to its floor.[21]
The southern recess opens directly into the main street and is
flooded with light. Its floor is covered with large fragments of
rock that have fallen from the cliff above. The spaces between these
bowlders were filled with débris and the bowlders themselves were
covered with the same accumulations the removal of which was no small
task.
MINOR ANTIQUITIES
The rooms and refuse-heaps of Spruce-tree House had been pretty
thoroughly ransacked for specimens by those who preceded the author,
so that few minor antiquities were expected to come to light in the
excavation and repair work. Notwithstanding this, however, a fair
collection, containing some unique specimens and many representative
objects, was made, and is now in the National Museum where it will
be preserved and be accessible to all students. Considering the
fact that most of the specimens previously abstracted from this
ruin have been scattered in all directions and are now in many
hands, it is doubtful whether a collection of any considerable size
from Spruce-tree House exists in any other public museum. In order
to render this account more comprehensive, references are made in
the following pages to objects from Spruce-tree House elsewhere
described, now in other collections. These references, quoted from
Nordenskiöld, the only writer on this subject, are as follows:
Plate XVIII: 2. a and b. Strongly flattened cranium of a child.
Found in a room in Sprucetree House.
Plate XXXIV: 4. Stone axe of porphyrite. Sprucetree House.
Plate XXXV: 2. Rough-hewn stone axe of quartzite. Sprucetree House.
Plate XXXIX: 6. Implement of black slate. Form peculiar (see the
text). Found in Sprucetree House.
[In the text the last-mentioned specimen is again referred to, as
follows:]
I have still to mention a number of stone implements the use of
which is unknown to me, first some large (15-30 cm.), flat, and
rather thick stones of irregular shape and much worn at the edges
(Pl. XXXIX: 4, 5), second a singular object consisting of a thin
slab of black slate, and presenting the appearance shown in Pl.
XXXIX: 6. My collection contains only one such implement, but among
the objects in Wetherill’s possession I saw several. They are all
of exactly the same shape and of almost the same size. I cannot
say in what manner this slab of slate was employed. Perhaps it is
a last for the plaiting of sandals or the cutting of moccasins. In
size it corresponds pretty nearly to the foot of an adult.
Plate XL: 5. Several _ulnæ_ and _radii_ of birds (turkeys) tied
on a buckskin string and probably used as an amulet. Found in
Sprucetree House.
Plate XLIII: 6. Bundle of 19 sticks of hard wood, probably employed
in some kind of knitting or crochet work. The pins are pointed at
one end, blunt at the other, and black with wear. They are held
together by a narrow band of yucca. Found in Sprucetree House.
Plate XLIV: 2. Similar to the preceding basket, but smaller. Found
in Sprucetree House....
[The “preceding basket” is thus described in explanation of the
figure (Pl. XLIV: 1):] Basket of woven yucca in two different
colors, a neat pattern being thus attained. The strips of yucca
running in a vertical direction are of the natural yellowish brown,
the others (in horizontal direction) darker....
Plate XLV: 1(95) and 2(663): Small baskets of yucca, of plain
colour and of handsomely plaited pattern. Found: 1 in ruin 9, 2 in
Sprucetree House.
Plate XLVIII: 4(674). Mat of plaited reeds, originally 1.2 × 1.2
m., but damaged in transportation. Found in Sprucetree House.
It appears from the foregoing that the following specimens have been
described and figured by Nordenskiöld, from Spruce-tree House: (1)
A child’s skull; (2) 2 stone axes; (3) a slab of black slate; (4)
several bird bones used for amulet; (5) bundle of sticks; (6) 2 small
baskets; (7) a plaited mat.
In addition to the specimens above referred to, the majority of
which are duplicated in the author’s collection, no objects from
Spruce-tree House are known to have been described or figured
elsewhere, so that there are embraced in the present account
practically all printed references to known material from this ruin.
But there is no doubt that other specimens as yet unmentioned in
print still exist in public collections in Colorado, and later these
also may be described and figured. From the nature of the author’s
excavations and method of collecting, little hope remains that
additional specimens may be obtained from rooms in Spruce-tree House,
but the northern refuse-heap situated at the back of the cavern may
yet yield a few good objects. This still awaits complete scientific
excavation.
The author’s collection from Spruce-tree House, the choice specimens
of which are now in the National Museum, numbers several hundred
objects. All the duplicates and heavy specimens, about equal in
number to the lighter ones, were left at the ruin where they are
available for future study. These are mostly stone mauls, metates
and large grinding implements, and broken bowls and vases. The
absence from Spruce-tree House of certain characteristic objects
widely distributed among Southwestern ruins is regarded as worthy
of comment. It will be noticed in looking over the author’s
collection that there are no specimens of marine shells, or of
turquoise ornaments or obsidian flakes, from the excavations made at
Spruce-tree House. This fact is significant, meaning either that the
former inhabitants of this village were ignorant of these objects or
that the excavators failed to find what may have existed. The author
accepts the former explanation, that these objects were not in use by
the inhabitants of Spruce-tree House, their ignorance of them having
been due mainly to their restricted commercial dealings with their
neighbors.
Obsidian, one of the rarest stones in the cliff-dwellings of the Mesa
Verde, as a rule is characteristic of very old ruins and occurs in
those having kivas of the round type, to the south and west of that
place.
It is said that turquoise has been found in the Mesa Verde ruins.
The author has seen a beautiful bird mosaic with inlaid turquoise
from one of the ruins near Cortez in Montezuma valley. This specimen
is made of hematite with turquoise eyes and neckband of the same
material; the feathers are represented by stripes of inlaid
turquoise. Also inlaid in turquoise in the back is an hourglass
figure, recalling designs drawn in outline on ancient pottery.
The absence of bracelets, armlets, and finger rings of sea shells,
objects so numerous in the ruins along the Little Colorado and the
Gila, may be explained by lack of trade, due to culture isolation.
The people of Mesa Verde appear not to have come in contact with
tribes who traded these shells, consequently they never obtained
them. The absence of culture connection in this direction tells
in favor of the theory that the ancestors of the Mesa Verde
people did not come from the southwest or the west, where shells
are so abundant. Although not proving much either way by itself,
this theory, when taken with other facts which admit of the same
interpretation, is significant. The inhabitants of Spruce-tree House
(the same is true of the other Mesa Verde people) had an extremely
narrow mental horizon. They obtained little in trade from their
neighbors and were quite unconscious of the extent of the culture of
which they were representatives.
POTTERY
The women of Spruce-tree House were expert potters and decorated
their wares in a simple but artistic manner. Until we have more
material it would be gratuitous to assume that the ceramic art
objects of all the Mesa Verde ruins are identical in texture, colors,
and symbolism, and the only way to determine how great are the
variations, if any, would be to make an accurate comparative study of
pottery from different localities. Thus far the quantity of material
available does not justify comparison even of the ruins of this
mesa, but there is a good beginning of a collection from Spruce-tree
House. The custom of placing in graves offerings of food for the
dead has preserved several good bowls, and although whole pieces are
rare fragments are found in abundance. Eighteen earthenware vessels,
including those repaired and restored from fragments, rewarded the
author’s excavations at Spruce-tree House. Some of these vessels bear
a rare and beautiful symbolism which is quite different from that
known from Arizona. The few plates (16-20) here given to illustrate
these symbols are offered more as a basis for future study and
comparisons than as an exhaustive representation of ceramics from one
ruin.
The number and variety of pieces of pottery figured from the Mesa
Verde cliff-dwellings have not been great. An examination of
Nordenskiöld’s memoir reveals the fact that he represents about 50
specimens of pottery; several of these were obtained by purchase, and
others came from Chelly canyon, the pottery of which is strikingly
like that of Mesa Verde. The majority of specimens obtained by
Nordenskiöld’s excavations were from Step House, not a single ceramic
object from Spruce-tree House being figured. So far as the author
can ascertain, the ceramic specimens here considered are the first
representatives of this art from Spruce-tree House that have been
described or figured, but there may be many other specimens from this
locality awaiting description and it is to be hoped that some day
these may be made known to the scientific world.
FORMS
Every form of pottery represented by Nordenskiöld, with the exception
of that which he styles a “lamp-shaped” vessel and of certain platter
forms with indentations, occurs in the collection here considered.
[Illustration: FIG. 1. Lid of jar.]
Nordenskiöld figures a jar provided with a lid, both sides of which
are shown.[22] It would seem that this lid (fig. 1),[23] unlike those
provided with knobs, found by the author, had two holes near the
center. The decoration on the top of the lid of one of the author’s
specimens resembles that figured by Nordenskiöld, but other specimens
differ from his as shown in figure 1. The specimens having raised
lips and lids are perforated in the edges of the openings, with one
or more holes for strings or handles. As bowls of this form are found
in sacred rooms they would seem to have been connected with worship.
The author believes that they served the same purposes as the netted
gourds of the Hopi. Most of the ceramic objects in Spruce-tree House
were in fragments when found.[24] Some of these objects have been
repaired and it is remarkable that so much good material for the
study of the symbolism has been obtained in this way.
[Illustration: FIG. 2. Repaired pottery.]
Black-and-white ware is the most common and the characteristic
painted pottery, but fragmentary specimens of a reddish ware occur.
One peculiarity in the lips of food bowls from Spruce-tree House
(pls. 16-18) is that their rims are flat, instead of rounded as in
more western prehistoric ruins, like Sikyatki. Food bowls are rarely
concave at the base.
No fragments of glazed pottery were found, although the surfaces of
some species were very smooth and glossy from constant rubbing with
smoothing stones. Several pieces of pottery were unequally fired,
so that a vitreous mass, or blotch, was evident on one side. Smooth
vessels and those made of coiled ware, which were covered with soot
from fires, were evidently used in cooking.
Several specimens showed evidences of having been broken and
afterwards mended by the owners (fig. 2); holes were drilled near
the line of fracture and the two parts tied together; even the yucca
strings still remain in the holes, showing where fragments were
united. In figure 3 there is represented a fragment of a handle of an
amphora on which is tied a tightly-woven cord.
[Illustration: FIG. 3. Handle with attached cord.]
Not a very great variety of pottery forms was brought to light in
the operations at Spruce-tree House. Those that were found are
essentially the types common throughout the Southwest, and may be
classified as follows: (1) Large jars, or ollas; (2) flat food bowls;
(3) cups and mugs; (4) ladles or dippers (fig. 4); (5) canteens; (6)
globular bowls. An exceptional form is a globular bowl with a raised
lip like a sugar bowl (pl. 19, _f_). This form is never seen in other
prehistoric ruins.
[Illustration: FIG. 4. Ladle.]
STRUCTURE
Classified by structure, the pottery found in the Spruce-tree
House ruin falls into two groups, coiled ware and smooth ware, the
latter either with or without decoration. The white ware has black
decorations.
[Illustration: FIG. 5. Handle of mug.]
The bases of the mugs (pl. 19) from Spruce-tree House, like those
from other Mesa Verde ruins, have a greater diameter than the lips.
These mugs are tall and their handles are of generous size. One of
the mugs found in this ruin has a =T=-shaped hole in its handle (fig.
5), recalling in this particular a mug collected in 1895 by the
author at Awatobi, a Hopi ruin.
The most beautiful specimen of canteen found at Spruce-tree House is
here shown in plate 20.
The coiled ware of Spruce-tree House, as of all the Mesa Verde ruins,
is somewhat finer than the coiled ware of Sikyatki. Although no
complete specimen was found, many fragments were collected, some of
which are of great size. This kind of ware was apparently the most
abundant and also the most fragile. As a rule these vessels show
marks of fire, soot, or smoke on the outside, and were evidently
used as cooking vessels. On account of their fragile character they
could not have been used for carrying water, for, with one or two
exceptions, they would not be equal to the strain. In decoration of
coiled ware the women of Spruce-tree House resorted to an ingenious
modification of the coils, making triangular figures, spirals, or
crosses in relief, which were usually affixed to the necks of the
vessels.
The symbolism on the pottery of Spruce-tree House is essentially that
of a cliff-dwelling culture, being simple in general characters.
Although it has many affinities with the archaic symbols of the
Pueblos, it has not the same complexity. The reason for this can be
readily traced to that same environmental influence which caused the
communities to seek the cliffs for protection. The very isolation of
the Mesa Verde cliff-dwellings prevented the influx of new ideas and
consequently the adoption of new symbols to represent them. Secure
in their cliffs, the inhabitants were not subject to the invasion
of strange clans nor could new customs be introduced, so that
conservatism ruled their art as well as their life in general. Only
simple symbols were present because there was no outside stimulus or
competition to make them complex.
On classification of Spruce-tree House pottery according to
technique, irrespective of its form, two divisions appear: (1)
Coiled ware showing the coils externally, and (2) smooth ware with
or without decorations. Structurally both divisions are the same,
although their outward appearance is different.
The smooth ware may be decorated with incised lines or pits, but is
painted often in one color. All the decorated vessels obtained by the
author at Spruce-tree House belong to what is called black-and-white
ware, by which is meant pottery having a thin white slip covering the
whole surface upon which black pictures are painted. Occasionally
fragments of a reddish brown cup were found, while red ware bearing
white decorative figures was recovered from the Mesa Verde; but none
of these are ascribed to Spruce-tree House or were collected by the
author. The general geographical distribution of this black-and-white
ware, not taking into account sporadic examples, is about the same
as that of the circular kivas, but it is also found where circular
kivas are unknown, as in the upper part of the valley of the Little
Colorado.
The black-and-white ware of modern pueblos, as Zuñi and Hano, the
latter the Tewan pueblo among the Hopi, is of late introduction from
the Rio Grande; prehistoric Zuñi ware is unlike that of modern Zuñi,
being practically identical in character with that of the other
ancient pueblos of the Little Colorado and its tributaries.
DECORATION
[Illustration: FIG. 6. Fragment of pottery.]
[Illustration: FIG. 7. Zigzag ornament.]
As a rule, the decoration on pottery from Spruce-tree House is
simple, being composed mainly of geometrical patterns. Life forms
are rare, when present consisting chiefly of birds or rude figures
of mammals painted on the outside of food bowls (fig. 6). The
geometrical figures are principally rectilinear, there being a great
paucity of spirals and curved lines. The tendency to arrange rows of
dots along straight lines is marked in Mesa Verde pottery and occurs
also in dados of house walls. There are many examples of stepped
or terraced figures which are so arranged in pairs that the spaces
between the terraces form zigzag bands, as shown in figure 7. A band
extending from the upper left hand, to the lower right hand, angle
of the rectangle that incloses the two terraced figures, may be
designated a sinistral, and when at right angles a dextral, terraced
figure (fig. 8). Specimens from Spruce-tree House show considerable
modification in these two types.
[Illustration: FIG. 8. Sinistral and dextral stepped figures.]
With exception of the terrace the triangle (fig. 9) is possibly the
most common geometrical decoration on Spruce-tree House pottery. Most
of the triangles may be bases of terraced figures, for by cutting
notches on the longer sides of these triangles, sinistral or dextral
stepped figures (as the case may be) result.
[Illustration: FIG. 9. Triangle ornament.]
The triangles may be placed in a row, united in hourglass forms, or
distributed in other ways. These triangles may be equilateral or
one of the angles may be very acute. Although the possibilities of
triangle combinations are almost innumerable the different forms can
be readily recognized. The dot is a common form of decoration, and
parallel lines also are much used. Many bowls are decorated with
hachure, and with line ornaments mostly rectilinear.
The volute plays a part, although not a conspicuous one, in
Spruce-tree House pottery decoration. Simple volutes are of two
kinds, one in which the figure-coils follow the direction of the
hands of the clock (dextral); the other, in which they take an
opposite direction (sinistral). The outer end of the volute may
terminate in a triangle or other figure, which may be notched,
serrated, or otherwise modified. A compound sinistral volute is one
which is sinistral until it reaches the center, when it turns into
a dextral volute extending to the periphery. The compound dextral
volute is exactly the reverse of the last-mentioned, starting as
dextral and ending as sinistral. If, as frequently happens, there is
a break in the lines at the middle, the figure may be called a broken
compound volute. Two volutes having different axes are known as a
composite volute, sinistral or dextral as the case may be.
[Illustration: FIG. 10. Meander.]
The meander (fig. 10) is also important in Spruce-tree House or Mesa
Verde pottery decoration. The form of meander homologous to the
volute may be classified in the same terms as the volute, into (1)
simple sinistral meander; (2) simple dextral meander; (3) compound
sinistral meander; (4) compound dextral meander; and (5) composite
meander. These meanders, like the volutes, may be accompanied by
parallel lines or by rows of dots enlarged, serrated, notched, or
otherwise modified.
In some beautiful specimens a form of hachure, or combination of
many parallel lines with spirals and meanders, is introduced in a
very effective way. This kind of decoration is very rare on old Hopi
(Sikyatki) pottery, but is common on late Zuñi and Hano ceramics,
both of which are probably derived from the Rio Grande region.
Lines, straight or zigzag, constitute important elements in
Spruce-tree House pottery decoration. These may be either parallel,
or crossed so as to form reticulated areas.
Along these lines rows of dots or of triangular enlargements may
be introduced. The latter may be simply serrations, dentations, or
triangles of considerable size, sometimes bent over, resembling
pointed bands.
Curved figures are rarely used, but such as are found are
characteristic. Concentric rings, with or without central dots, are
not uncommon.
Rectangles apparently follow the same general rules as circles, and
are also sometimes simple, with or without central dots.
The triangle is much more common as a decorative motive than
the circle or the rectangle, variety being brought about by the
difference in length of the sides. The hourglass formed by two
triangles with one angle of each united is common. The quail’s-head
design, or triangle having two parallel marks on an extension at one
angle, is not as common as on Little Colorado pottery and that from
the Gila valley.
As in all ceramics from the San Juan area, the stepped figures are
most abundant. There are two types of stepped figures, the sinistral
and the dextral, according as the steps pass from left to right or
vice versa. The color of the two stepped figures may be black, or
one or both may have secondary ornamentation in forms of hachure or
network. One may be solid black, the other filled in with lines.
In addition to the above-mentioned geometrical figures, the S-shaped
design is common; when doubled, this forms the cross called swastika.
The S figure is of course generally curved but may be angular, in
which case the cross is more evident. One bowl has the S figure on
the outside. All of the above-mentioned designs admit of variations
and two or more are often combined in Spruce-tree House pottery,
which is practically the same in type as that of the whole Mesa Verde
region.
CERAMIC AREAS
While it is yet too early in our study of prehistoric pueblo
culture to make or define subcultural areas, it is possible to
recognize provisionally certain areas having features in common,
which differ from other areas.[25] It has already been shown that
the form of the subterranean ceremonial room can be used as a basis
of classification. If pottery symbols are taken as the basis, it
will be found that there are at least two great subsections in the
pueblo country coinciding with the two divisions recognized as the
result of study of the form of sacred rooms—the northeastern and the
southwestern region or, for brevity, the northern and the southern
area. In the former region lie, besides the Mesa Verde and the San
Juan valley, Chaco and Chelly canyons; in the latter, the ruins of
“great houses” along the Gila and Salt rivers.