THE INSTITUTE FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMIC RESEARCH

 

2002 REPORT OF THE IVY CREEK WHITE WARE PROJECT

 

 

q      Pertinent Permits

 

Antiquities Annual Permit
U-01-LU (Issued 11/28/01)

 

Edge of the Cedars Curation Agreement
2002-1 (Issued 26/03/02)

 

Manti-La Sal National Forest Permit
Not Issued

 

Bureau of Land Management Cultural Resource Use Permit
02UT80002 (April 30, 2002 – June 6, 2003)

q     Field Work Personnel

 

Field Director - William A. Lucius

 

Field Assistant - Irene Lopez-Wessell

q    Field Work Dates

 

July 23 – July 27, 2002

q     Ceramic Artifacts Collected by Site

 

42SV212 - 23 Ivie Creek White Ware sherds

 

(Sites 42SV212 and 42SV213 represent one continuous site)

q    Resource Voucher Samples Collected

 

Clay Voucher Sample           Area                                                                                     UTM

 

02CVS01                                              Last Chance                 12S 461371 N, 4277882 E

 

02CVS02                                              Ivie Creek                      12S 469609 N, 4290503 E

 

02CVS03                                              Saleratus Creek         12S 469041 N, 4297036 E

 

02CVS04                                              Ivie Creek                      12S 471490 N, 4294483 E

 

02CVS05                                              Link Canyon                12S 471128 N, 4313361 E

 

 

 

Slip Voucher Sample         Area                                                   UTM

 

02SVS01                                               Link Canyon               12S 471077 N, 4313330 E

 

02SVS02                            Link Canyon         12S 471333 N, 4312575 E

  

 

Temper Voucher Sample    Area                                                               UTM

 

02TVS1                                                Round Spring                12S 463268 N, 4280683 E

 

02TVS2                                                Ivy Creek                         12S 470269 N, 4293855 E

 

 

Mineral Voucher Sample   Area                                                                                      UTM

 

02MVS1                                              Redmond                        12S 424916 N, 4322592 E

 

 

 

 

 

Narrative

 

     Fieldwork during the 2002 field season was minimal due to a lack of operating funds.  Resource samples 02CVS05, 02SVS01 and 02SVS02 were collected in the Manti LaSal National Forest and samples 02CVS01 and 02TVS01 were collected in the Fishlake National Forest.  The remaining research activities during 2002 took place on BLM managed lands.  The focus of this initial season of the project fieldwork was geologic reconnaissance of the general Ivie Creek area, evaluation of the local ceramic resource base through voucher sample collection and the collection Ivie Creek White Ware sherds from the surface of previously documented Fremont sites.  Consultation with Sy Eardly, a ceramic replicator who lives in Emery, resulted in the collection of additional clay and slip voucher samples in the Link Canyon area.  In addition, a mineral voucher sample of salt from the Redmond Mine was donated for inclusion into the voucher sample collection.

 

     From a resource availability viewpoint, Fremont ceramic production probably occurred locally, and most likely within a narrow corridor along Ivie Creek.  The availability of the basalt temper used to manufacture Ivie Creek White Ware does not extend as far north as Saleratus Creek and the elevation rise south of Ivy Creek precludes agricultural residency and therefore ceramic production.  Laboratory processing of clay, slip and temper voucher samples revealed the following characteristics:

 

1.           All Ivie Creek White Ware sherds revealed the use of crushed basalt temper.  Readily available and preprocessed ant-den sand was not used.  Crushed basalt from Temper Voucher Sample 1 when mixed with clay voucher samples exactly matched the appearance of the ceramic artifacts.

 

2.           Three distinct refired clay colors were documented in the sample of 23 sherds from 42SV212.  The majority (71.7% by weight) reveals the use of clay with the Munsell refired color 5YR6/8.  It is likely that the clay was derived from an outcrop of Mancos Shale.  A total of 24.4 % of the sherds refired to 10YR8/3, a much lighter color that generally indicates the use of Dakota Formation or Morrison Formation white clays.  One sherd (2.2.7%) revealed a clay color of 2. 5YR5/8, a refired clay color characteristic of red Morrison Formation clays.  All of these clays occur along the Ivie Creek drainage, suggesting the presence of multiple ceramic production zones, each identifiable by the selection of a unique clay type.  One sherd (1.7%) is vitrified, which precludes color identification.  Although none of the clay voucher samples matched the refired sherd colors, each sample reveals a distinct Munsell color, suggesting that it will be possible to match ceramic artifacts with specific clay sources in future field seasons.

 

3.           Refiring analysis also allows for easy identification of slips – defined as the application of a light colored clay over the darker body clay.  The addition of a slip results in a lighter-colored surface but more importantly ensures permanence of the carbon paint that is characteristic of Ivy Creek White Ware.  None of the sherds with the refired color of 10YR8/3 revealed the presence of slips.  Further, refired slips are the same color, suggesting that this clay source was used for ceramic production where it occurred and additionally it was distributed to other potters without access to this white burning, carbon-absorptive clay.  The Slip Voucher Samples collected from the Mesa Verde Formation do not match the ceramic slip refired color.  A focus of future fieldwork will be identification of the production locale that had access to this distinctive clay.