First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2014

Kintiel Polychrome was described by Colton and Hargrave (1937) as a White Mountain Red ware type, but later reassigned to the Tsegi Orange Ware (Colton 1956). While the assignment of this type to a specific tradition may still be tentative, (Hays and van Hartesveldt 1998) include the description of this type with White Mountain Red Wares. This type may represent one of several distinct regional forms that developed out of St Johns Polychrome. Kintiel Polychrome commonly occurs in the Kintiel – Klagetoh, Manuelito Canyon, and Black Creek - Window Rock areas in contexts dating to the very late thirteenth and very early fourteenth century (Colton and Hargrave 1937; Hays-Gilpin and van Hartesveldt 1998; Reed 1944).

Pastes in pottery assigned to Kintiel Polychrome range from dark yellow, orange, brown to gray and temper is crushed sherd sometimes with sand. Surfaces are often covered with a thin tan to orange slip and are usually polished and may be crackled. Vessel forms are usually represented by bowls but may include jars. The lip near the rim of bowls is often beveled. Designs are executed in a diffuse black to brown mineral paint. Rims are occasionally ticked. Designs include solid elements and corbeled lines with alternating sets of parallel lines including oblique hatching. Designs are often framed by a series of thick thin lines near the rim. The top framing line is almost always wider than other lines incorporated into the design. The assignment of Kintiel Polychrome into a particular tradition is tricky given its similarity not only to St Johns Polychrome but to Klagetoh Black-on-white, Heshotauthla Polychrome, Jeddito Black-on-orange, and various Tsegi Orange Ware types suggesting multiple influences from traditions in a number of different regions.

References:
Colton, Harold S. and Lyndon L. Hargrave
1937 Handbook of Northern Arizona Pottery Wares. Museum of Northern Arizona, Bulletin No. 11. Northern Arizona Society of Science and Art, Flagstaff.

Hays-Gilpin, Kelley., and Eric van Hartesveldt
1998 Prehistoric Ceramics of the Puerco Valley: The 1995 Chambers-Sanders Trust Lands Ceramic Conference. Museum of Northern Arizona Ceramic Series No.7. The Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff.

Reed, Erik K.
1944 Pottery Types of the Manuelito District. American Antiquity 10(2):167-172.

Related Photos

Kintiel Polychrome bowl sherd (interior surface)

Kintiel Polychrome bowl sherd (exterior surface)

Kintiel - Klagetoh Polychrome bowl

Kintiel Polychrome bowl