Year: 1936
Type: article
Abstract: Among the many problematic slate forms of contemporaneous American Indian culture, probably none have been so commented upon as the birdstones.With few exceptions these are all well made, graceful, and excel any of the other slate forms in this respect.There is nothing to associate the bird form with any existing belief or custom of the American Indian of today.88 Most birdstones are found in an area embraced by the states of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.They are of course found in other states, but seem to have their focal point in the states mentioned.These states, as will be observed, are all in close proximity to or bordered by the lake area, or contain extensive waterways.I make distinct note of this for it is important to the theory to be advanced.The variety of materials from which birdstones are made seems to be restricted; banded or Huronian slate predominating over other grades or slate, sandstone and granite.They have many characteristics in common, such as the method and angle of perforation, the straight, slightly curved or saddle base, absence of file marks, development of the so-called eye, and the final finish of the completed object.Warren K. Moorehead, in Stone Ornaments of the American Indian, divides birdstones into six classes as follows (p.81): (a) the ordinary bird-stone; (b) the birdstone with slender body, neck and head specialized; (c) birdstone with short body; (d) short, wide birdstone, southern type; (e) birdstone with wide body and large ears; and (/) the variations of another type.The theories advanced regarding their probable use are many, wide and variable.Henry Gilman, Smithsonian Rept., 1873, says, "they are worn on the heads of Indian women but only after marriage"; and William Penn says, "when the squaws are ready to marry they wear something on their head to indicate the fact."Some authorities have presumed that the birdstone was referred to in this case.If this were true, Penn would undoubtedly have mentioned it; certainly something as distinctive as the bird form would have been noted.The mere wearing of a head ornament to indicate the status of a person before or after marriage is a common trait among the more primitive peoples of the world, and is practiced today.To cite a specific instance; the maidens of the Pearl Island group wear a red hibiscus blossom over the right ear when foot-loose and fancy-free, and after the marriage wear the flower over the left ear.In some European countries, certain methods of dressing the hair, or the type of headgear worn are used to indicate the marriageable status of the person in question.Jones, in Antiquities of the Southern Indians, quotes De Bry as saying, "the Indian conjurors wore a small black bird above one of their ears as a badge of 88 Editor's note: Mr. Allen's article, "Significance of the so-called Bird-Stone," this series, Vol. 1, No. 3, p. 224, was printed after the present article was received.
Source: American Antiquity
DOI: 10.2307/275888
Author: Ralph H. Whitehead
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2326006600