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Show 248 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE Photograph by O. C. Havens ROLLING CLAY COILS FOR POTTERY After the base of a pottery vessel has been formed, a small ball of clay is rolled between the palms into a thin rope, and this is then coiled round and round the edge of the gradually growing bowl or jar. At frequent intervals the potter smoothes the receptacle inside and out with a bit of gourd shell (see text, page 239). The potter's wheel was not known to the aborigines of America. conflict between secular and ceremonial ambitions. With increasing population, there came a need for more and more dwellings; also for larger or additional kivas, the circular, subterranean rooms inhabited by unmarried men and utilized by the several fraternities or religious societies. The dwellings, be it remembered, were the recognized property of the women. When a man married he went to live with, or near, his wife's people. This is an old, established custom among the modern Pueblos-a custom which has survived the fleeting centuries and the abrading influences of a dominant civilization. CEREMONIAL KIVAS BUILT BY THE MEN The women not only owned, but they also built, their homes-another Pueblo custom which has persisted to within the present generation. Of course, the men participated in this work. They quarried and transported the stone; then fetched the huge roof timbers and seated them upon the walls. But the houses, nevertheless, were the exclusive property of the women. In direct contrast, the kivas were owned and occupied by the men-folk. It seems entirely plausible that the members of the several masculine societies joined hands in building their respective lodge rooms. If we could be absolutely certain of this point, it might explain the fact that kiva masonry is invariably inferior to that of the dwellings proper. We must assume, perforce, that the women of Pueblo Bonito were better masons than their husbands. Because the welfare of the entire community depended upon the faithful performance of prescribed rituals, the influence of the ceremonial chamber was stronger than that of the home. We have noticed repeatedly, during exploration of Pueblo Bonito, where two or four adjoining rooms were sacrificed to provide space for a single kiva. In such instances the partition walls only were razed, leaving |