Tikchik village: a nineteenth century riverine community in ... - Cluster

VANSTONE: TIKCHIK VILLAGE 289of the ware, there is considerable variation in the structure of thesherds themselves. In addition to variable thickness, it has beennoted that some sherds are from vessels that were better fired thanothers, that some have a smoother glaze, and that exposure to theelements has resulted in differential surface deterioration.The collection of non-Eskimo pottery can be classified most satisfactorilyaccording to the three types of surface treatment: undecoratedwhite ware, transfer-printed ware, and hand-decorated ware.The most common ware represented is undecorated and white. Thereare 84 sherds of this utilitarian pottery in the collection, includingtwo identifiable cup fragments. This ware is remarkably uniformalthough there is some variation in thickness, firing, and smoothnessof the glaze.Transfer-printed ware is represented by 57 sherds including fiveidentifiable saucer fragments and four cup fragments. Transferprinting is an English development which spread widely and rapidlyduring the nineteenth century. The most common transfer print ofall is the "willow" pattern, 18 sherds of which occur in the Tikchikcollection (PI. 8,1-2). In general, the transfer-printed ware tends tobe somewhat thinner than the undecorated ware and has a smootherglaze. In addition to the "willow" pattern, other designs, mostlyfloral, are represented in brown, black, light blue, yellow, and graycolors. Some of the floral representations are combined with geometricdesigns, and many have a distinctive oriental appearance(PI. 8,6) A . large saucer fragment has a triangular design around therim and a jungle scene with the head of a tiger in the center (PI. 8,3).Several cup fragments are obviously from the same set.The hand-painted ware, of which there are 81 sherds includingfive saucer and four cup fragments, is approximately the same thicknessas the plain ware and definitely thicker than the transfer-printedsherds. All designs appear to be floral and are crudely applied(PI. 8,7-8). Various shades of blue, green, red, and purple predominate.Painted lines around the inner and outer surfaces of the vessels,usually around the rim or base, are common.In addition to the wares described above, there is a single fragmentof heavy ironstone with a thick, brown glaze, possibly a fragmentof a teapot or kitchen bowl.As far as identifiable forms are concerned, fragments of all typesof ware appear to be from cups or saucers and there are no identifiableplate fragments. A number of flat-bottomed sherds suggest large,heavy mugs with straight sides and indented bottoms. Saucer frag-