Inasmuch as they so readily lend themselves as a motive of decoration,
it is remarkable that the ancient Hopi seem to have used plants and
their various organs so sparingly in their pottery painting.
Elsewhere, especially among modern Pueblos, this is not the case, and
while plants, flowers, and leaves are not among the common designs on
modern Tusayan ware, they are often employed. It would appear that the
corn plant or fruit would be found among other designs, especially as
corn plays a highly symbolic part in mythic conceptions, but we fail
to find it used as a decoration on any ancient vessel.
[Illustration: BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY