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TITLE	Qahatika Water Girl, Portfolio 2, Plate 54
CREATOR	Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952
SUBJECT	Qahatika Indians
Browse Topic	Native Americans Society and culture
DESCRIPTION	"In appearance and habits the Qahatika are almost identical with their immediate congeners the Pima and the Papago. Though different materials are used in making of their houses, the form is the same. Mesquite, cottonwood, and willow provide an abundance of building material for the river tribes, but these mid-desert lovers depend solely on the woody ribs of the giant cactus. When the cactus tree dies, the pulpy tissue desiccates, leaving what looks like a bundle of weather-bleached poles. One cannot help wondering how these Indians would have managed in Nature had made the giant cactus with a solid trunk. Here at the rock-strewn foot of the desert mountain, where scarcely any other form of vegetal life seems able to exist, provident Nature permits this variety of cactus to flourish, and to furnish unlimited quantities of food as well as material for the building of habitable houses." "Qahatika handicraft shows considerable skill, particularly in pottery, many forms of which are made. All household utensils are of their own manufacture, besides which many small pieces are made for barter. Some examples are evidently copies of commercial ware, but many show true primitive feeling in form as well as in decoration. These Indians model, polish the ware, burn it to its rich red color, then decorate and reburn it. The paint for decorating is obtained by boiling chips of mesquite wood to a syrup, which is applied with a brush made by chewing a strip of yucca leaf. In the burning, the painted designs turn a brilliant black, making a very pleasing contrast with the bright red color of the ware. The Qahatika also make many excellent baskets of the usual Pima form and designs" (Curtis, The North American Indian, Volume 2, pages 42-43).
TYPE	Image
RIGHTS MANAGEMENT	Copyright and/or publication rights for all images in this collection are retained by this institution. Contact the Arizona Capitol Museum at 602-926-3620 for further information.
DATE ORIGINAL	1907
Time Period	1900s (1900-1909)
ORIGINAL FORMAT	Photogravure
DIGITAL IDENTIFIER	plate_54.JPG
Date Digital	2012
DIGITAL FORMAT	JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
REPOSITORY	Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. Arizona Capitol Museum Division.
Sort Order	005300