Authors: Talia Berglund
Mentors: Michael T. Searcy
Insitution: Brigham Young University
Fremont Red-on-Gray Pottery
Specific to the Northern Macro-Region of inhabitance, there has yet to be a comprehensive cataloging of Fremont red-on-gray ceramics. As such, I will be asking the following research questions in regard to this type of ceramic: What designs were painted on Great Salt Lake red-on-gray? And how do these designs compare to other Fremont ceramic types?
In order to effectively answer these questions, I will look at Great Salt Lake Fremont ceramic vessels and sherds with traces of red paint on the surface, with a particular emphasis on the artifacts found at Hinckley mounds but comparing them to Wolf Village specimens as well. The research will include recording the shapes and designs that are painted on the vessels, as well as measuring width and length of these lines and shapes. I will also investigate what the red pigment is made out of–using either PXRF or microscopic analysis. These methods will generate a catalog of designs found on red-on-gray ceramics, as well as a data set that will allow me to look for patterns among the painted designs. I plan to develop a general typology of red-on-gray Fremont pottery based on the sample investigated.
In carrying out this research, we should be able to assess whether or not the Fremont in the Northern Macro-Region shared painting practices with other Fremont in different areas, and thus possibly determine how they viewed themselves as belonging to or different from other nearby groups of people. If a pattern emerges and red-on-gray designs are shared between groups, then perhaps they interacted with and associated with those groups. If there is a lack of shared practices and designs, the opposite could be potentially true.