Archaeologist Watson Smith participated in such important excavations as the Lowry Ruin, the Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition, and Awatovi. This volume gathers ten of his essays on archaeological topics--especially on Anasazi and Hopi prehistory.

Contents:
The Vitality of the Hopi Way: Mural Decorations from Ancient Hopi Kivas
Pit House and Kiva Pitfalls: When Is a Kiva?
D-Shaped Features: The Kiva at Site 4
The Kiva Beneath the Altar: Room 788
"Ethnology Itself Carried Back": Extent of Ethnographic Studies Among the Pueblos
Birds of a Feather: Feathers
Pots on the Kiva Wall: Ceremonial Bowls
The Potsherd Paradigm: Analysis of Hooks, Scrolls, and Keys
A School for Cracked Pots: Schools, Pots, and Potters; The Jeddito School

"Smith's writings on the Western Anasazi are a model of archaeological reporting and interpretation. They are timeless, representative of no `school of thought,' free from cant, and elegant in exposition. Each of the pieces demonstrates Smith's aptitude for taking the lifeless and often wearisome data of archaeological excavation, and breathing into them the force of life." —Choice"An excellent and timely compilation of archaeological research. It is useful to any professional archaeologist or layman interested in the Tusayan tradition, in southwestern archaeology and the development of the discipline, or in the development of archaeological method and theory. The book is applicable at all levels and is accessible and instructive to the reader, no matter what their depth." —American Antiquity"Smith's ingenuity and good humor have allowed him to tackle topics ranging from Anasazi ceremonialism to Zuni law with dignity and grace....[This volume] will be warmly received by individuals interested in the historical development of Southwestern archaeology as well as those concerned with fundamental problems of archaeological interpretation." —Journal of Field Archaeology