At the time of this writing Samantha Bomkamp is a second-year graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee expecting to complete her Master’s degree in the Spring of 2020. Our inaugural Nancy Coinman Grant Award for 2018-2019 helped offset some of her transportation and related expenses while she worked on her university’s archaeological survey project in the Jornada Mogollon highlands near Ruidoso, and independently traveled to the Center for New Mexico Archaeology in Santa Fe and the El Paso Museum of Archaeology to study and analyze their respective collections of northern Chihuahua/Casas Grandes ceramics. The focus of her Master's thesis is to organize and comparatively analyze the data from her Summer 2019 research with the data she previously collected during her internship research of Milwaukee Public Museum's collection of 80 Casas Grandes vessels.
Following is Sam's September, 2019, progress report on this research. Thank you, Sam!
Recipient of the GCAS/Nancy Coinman Grant Award
Research Results/Summary
Samantha BomkampThe Nancy Coinman Grant Award through the Grant County Archaeological Society allowed me to visit two institutions to do research related to my master’s thesis; while in New Mexico conducting archaeological survey this summer, I spent two weekends traveling to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Santa Fe, NM) and the El Paso Museum of Archaeology (El Paso, TX). While there, I examined their collections of Casas Grandes pottery (Chihuahua, Mexico) to provide comparative studies to the Casas Grandes collection of 82 vessels at the Milwaukee Public Museum (Milwaukee, WI) from which my master’s thesis is based.
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Santa Fe, NM)
On June 2019, I visited the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC), where I examined and photographed six ceramic vessels from the Casas Grandes region. These vessels were selected from the museum’s collection because they were donated by Peter Wray, who was also the primary donor of the pottery collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) that I am focusing on for my thesis research. These vessels included two different Casas Grandes wares: Ramos Polychrome (5) and Ramos Black (1). Ramos Polychrome is one of the most common of the Casas Grandes wares, so it was not surprising that it was well represented in the museum’s collection. The polychromes exhibit some beautiful designs and motifs. One particular vessel (cat. # 57206/11), the only vessel which was not whole features a spotted bird design; the particular characteristics of this bird suggest that it may be a representation of a Montezuma Quail. Christine VanPool discusses representations of this species and many others in her dissertation, “The Symbolism of Casas Grandes” (VanPool 2003).
The designs on the five Ramos Polychrome vessels vary in style and complexity. One of the vessels simply had four thick stripes extending horizontally across the vessel’s body. Others have more intricate interlocking geometric designs. All vessels have symmetrical elements which is diagnostic of Casas Grandes ceramics. This duality of designs on pottery likely reflects belief systems in the Casas Grandes culture and can be compared to other elements such as architecture (VanPool 2003: 155).
Other notable designs on the vessels I examined include the “P” motif. This element also follows the symmetrical/ duality pattern, with two “P” symbols depicted opposite one another on the vessel. A comparative vessel in the MPM’s collection is shown below (Photo 1).
Photo 1: Catalog #49564. Example of “P” motif on a vessel from the Milwaukee Public Museum. Photo by Samantha Bomkamp with permission by the Milwaukee Public Museum.
El Paso Museum of Archaeology (El Paso, TX)
On July 20, 2019, I visited the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. I examined 10 vessels from their collection of Casas Grandes pottery, including seven types: Ramos Polychrome (4), Corralitos Polychrome (1), Madera Black-on-red (1), Playas Red-on-brown (1), Playas Red Incised (1), Villa Ahuamada (1), and Ramos Black (1). I especially focused on the polychromes during my visit as they are most relevant to my study of iconography on Casas Grandes vessels at the MPM. This collection has a wider variety of motifs and designs, including effigy vessels, compared to the vessels I examined at the MIAC.
Multiple animals were represented within the sample. Macaw imagery is very common on Casas Grandes pottery and can be simple or abstract. Representation of other animals is also common, especially other types of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. I selected three animal effigy pots at the El Paso Museum; one vessel is a frog, another has two snakes winding around the vessel (see Photo 2), and the last has two birds protruding from the front and back. Depictions of animals can help us understand the importance of such creatures in Casas Grandes culture; as mentioned previously, VanPool (2003) has been able to link many of the animals depicted on pottery to actual species.
Photo 2: Snake Effigy Vessel at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. Photo by Samantha Bomkamp with permission by the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.
I also examined two human effigies. One is in the form of a hooded effigy; this means that only the human head is represented in detail at the mouth of the vessel. The other is a male figure lying down, with the vessel forming his torso. It has been argued that effigies across the Southwest region often represent specific individuals or occupations, such as shamans; the male effigy at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology had painted designs on the face. Face decoration is also an important motif as it may be related to rituals (VanPool 2003: 297- 318).
Geometric designs in this collection also followed the duality theme. Various vessels featured paired motifs mirroring one another. For example, the stepped design is quite common in Chihuahuan polychromes; the design often includes opposing black and red designs (see Photo 3).
Photo 3: Ramos Polychrome Vessel showing at least two different stepped motifs. Photo by Samantha Bomkamp with permission by the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.
Lastly, the El Paso Museum of Archaeology collection also includes a variety of wares in addition to the most common, Ramos Polychrome. A few of these are utilitarian types included Playas Red Incised and Ramos Black. These vessels are equally as important to investigate in order to understand the progression of Casas Grandes pottery throughout time. Many motifs can be tracked to earlier types, such as the stepped motif mentioned previously.
Conclusion
The Grant County Archaeological Society Nancy Coinman award allowed me to visit both of these institutions this summer. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to research these beautiful artifacts and I look forward to my continued investigation of the vessels as I progress with my thesis research during this academic year. Information gathered from these museums will be included in my final thesis and will enable me to contextualize the Casas Grandes pottery collection at the MPM.
Bibliography
VanPool, Christine S.
2003 The Symbolism of Casas Grandes. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Download Samantha Bomkamp's progress report in WORD format: Download Bomkamp GCAS Research Findings
Download Samantha Bomkamp's progress report in PDF format: Download Bomkamp GCAS Research Findings
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