The stone age in North America, vol. 1 of 2Moorehead, Warren K. (Warren King)
History
The stone age in North America, vol. 1 of 2
Moorehead, Warren K. (Warren King)
Indians of North America -- Antiquities; Stone age -- North America
From southeastern Ohio to central Missouri
considerable numbers have been found, though few of them are as well
wrought as those from the South. Rather rough ones occur along the
Delaware River. Beyond the limits indicated, the type practically
disappears. Discoidal stones corresponding closely with Eastern types,
save that the faces are rarely concave, are found in the Pueblo country
and in the Pacific States.”
The remarkable stone disc, engraved and presented in Fig. 393, was found
near a mound eight miles from Arkansas Post, Arkansas. Mr. H. L.
Stoddard secured this specimen and permitted me to make illustrations
from the photographs. There were also found two effigy pipes which are
shown in Fig. 491.
These stone discs were found in considerable numbers by Mr. Clarence B.
Moore at Moundville, Black Warrior River, Alabama. He figures several of
them in “Certain Aboriginal Remains on the Black Warrior River”
(Philadelphia, 1905).
The culture at Moundville was high as is evinced by the character of the
objects found by Mr. Moore. These discs were more or less thickly
smeared with paint, cream color or red.
Mr. Moore states: “The universal presence of paint upon these discs and
slabs seems to offer a clue to the purpose for which they were used,
and, until a better suggestion is offered, we shall consider them
palettes for the mixing of paint.”
[Illustration:
FIG. 393. (S. 1–3.) Engraved discs from Arkansas Post, Arkansas. H. L.
Stoddard’s collection.
]
As ordinary slabs serve just as well as stones on which to mix paint, it
is my opinion that these highly ornamented stones, if used for this
purpose, were employed by the shamans in painting the warriors for
certain ceremonies.
But the discs owned by Mr. Stoddard have not smooth centres as have Mr.
Moore’s discs, and are apparently for other purposes than the mixing of
paint.
TUBULAR FORMS
Not only are there tubular pipes, but there are also tubular forms which
apparently are not pipes. I show numbers of these in Figs. 394 and 398.
Fig. 394 illustrates a number of steatite beads from the collection of
H. K. Deisher, Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
Cylindrical forms may be said to begin with the beads and end with the
long tubular objects, which are really pipes.
[Illustration:
FIG. 393 _A_ (S. 1–3.) Engraved discs from Arkansas Post, Arkansas. H.
L. Stoddard’s collection.
]
[Illustration:
FIG. 394. (S. 1–1.) H. K. Deisher’s collection, Kutztown,
Pennsylvania.
]
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