The time consumed in the moulding of cooking vessels was noted in only one case. Six rolls were used for the body and two for the lip. Before the kajepe was used for the first time the cylindrical body was five inches in diameter and four and a half inches high. Table IV gives the time of construction, divided according to the various steps of the work.

TABLE IV

Min. Sec.
00.00 — Kneading of small handful of clay to eliminate pebbles begun
04.00— Pat placed in puki, kneading of clay for rolls begun
12.00— Making of first roll begun
19.00— Six rolls added and flattened, interior scraping begun
20.30— Exterior scraping begun, later interior smoothing begun, followed shortly by exterior smoothing
26.00— Seventh roll added
29.00— Eighth roll flattened and interior smoothing begun
29.30— Exterior smoothing begun
32.00— Rim smoothing begun
38.00— Finishing touches begun, followed by indenting rim
46.00— Moulding completed, vessel set aside
9.00— Time out
46.00— Work upon handle begun
49.00— Handle finished, vessel completed

Prayer-meal Bowls

Prayer-meal bowls are of two sorts, bowl-shaped with a terraced elevation on one side of the rim, and rectangular, or box-like, with a terraced elevation at either end. In the construction of a rectangular prayer-meal bowl, no puki is employed. The pat, either circular or rectangular in shape, is made as usual. It is placed upon a board, care being taken to press it down hard, and the rectangular shape is accentuated by the pinching up of the edge. A thin layer of temper may, or may not, be sprinkled on the board before the pat is placed upon it. To this pat are added two or three rolls in the manner already described. When it is desired to turn the vessel, the board upon which it rests is turned. The board is either held in the lap or rests on the top of a low stool. In scraping and shaping the vessel one potter began to use the kajepe on the exterior first, then proceeded to the interior; another reversed the process. The stroke on the exterior is vertical at the corners and nearly horizontal on the sides; on the interior it is nearly horizontal. When the building of the vessel has been completed, the rim is smoothed, and the corners

Fig. 7. The three stages in making the terraced end of a prayer-meal bowl: a. End built to full height. b. Notches cut with a taut string. c. Bits of clay removed from the notches and edges of terracing smoothed down.

made straight. The bowl may be pressed lightly between the hands to improve the symmetry and to make all the corners more nearly right angles; it is then set aside for a while.

The next step is the construction of the terraced ends. A single short roll is attached to the interior of the rim at one end. This roll is pressed flat, and smoothed with the kajepe, first on the interior and then on the exterior. The sharp edges are softened, the rim is smoothed, and the junctions of this new portion with the sides are rounded off. The result is a flattened semicircular vertical projection at the end (see [fig. 7], a). The other end is then treated in the same manner. The bowl is now ready to have the terraces put in. There are two methods of doing this. One potter uses a long string in making the first marks. The string is stretched taut horizontally, parallel to the length of the bowl. It is then pressed lightly on both ends at the same time, first on one side of the centre, then on the other. The distance between the hands is next shortened, and two notches are cut on either side of the centre of the end with this string, which is still held horizontally. Similar notches are cut in the other end. Each end of the bowl is now as shown in fig. 7, b. Another potter does not make the initial marks in the two ends simultaneously. Holding the end of the bowl towards her, she lightly marks the lines to be cut with her fingernail. Then, picking up the string and following the marks made by her fingernail, the notches are cut in the way described.