A Catalog of Selected Caddo Ceramic Vessels in the Buddy Jones Collection at the Gregg County Historical Museum

Abstract

This publications presents information and images of 420 Caddo ceramic vessels from several different parts of East Texas. These vessels are in the Buddy Calvin Jones collection at the Gregg County Historical Museum (GCHM) in Longview, Texas. They represent unassociated funerary objects under the provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Our purpose in producing this publication is to make this information available to those in the professional and avocational archaeological community with a serious interest in the native history of the Caddo Indian peoples; as well as to the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma; and to the general public. The information presented here on Caddo ceramic vessel forms and decorative styles should be useful in current and future syntheses of East Texas Caddo ceramic traditions from ca. A.D. 1200 to the late 17th century, if not later. The provenience of these vessels by site and/or burial feature is not known, but because Caddo ceramic vessels from different parts of East Texas have distinctive decorations, vessel forms, and rim/ lip treatment, we have been able to sort much of this vessel assemblage by age and/or region. This includes several vessels of Middle Caddo period (ca. A.D. 1200- 1450) age that are likely from the mid-Sabine River basin, vessels from sites in the ca. A.D. 1450-1680 Titus phase area in the Big Cypress and mid-Sabine River basins, and vessels from sites in the upper Neches River basin from ca. A.D. 1400-1650 Frankston phase and post-A.D. 1650 Allen phase sites. Unfortunately, there remain a number of vessels in this assemblage that are undecorated or have less distinctive stylistic characteristics, and at the present time they are considered to be from unknown ceramic assemblage contexts in East Texas Caddo sites. Hopefully further study of the entire Buddy Calvin Jones collections, along with the examination of all available records and notes (including records and notes not yet provided to the GCHM), will lead to the identification of more specific provenience assignments to the latter group of vessels.