Lot 89
Native American, Midwestern United States, Warren County Michigan, Eastern Woodland, Archaic Period, ca. 5000 to 1000 BCE. A collection of three bannerstones made from a dark gray banded slate. The largest is "bowtie shaped" with a crescent wing, and a perforation drilled through the thick center. The other two are also drilled through the center, but one has a smaller perforation on the wing. Many bannerstones of various sizes with bowtie or butterfly shapes, such as these examples, have been found across the eastern part of North America, but their use is not fully understood. They may have served as tools to aid in hunting, or a symbolic purpose. Size (largest): 3.75" L x 3.5" W (9.5 cm x 8.9 cm); (smallest): 2.75" L x 2.25" W (7 cm x 5.7 cm)
Bannerstones remain an archaeological mystery. For many years, inspired by research done by a former physicist, archaeologists believed that bannerstones were used as weights to give atlatls greater power and control. Later experimental archaeology proved that this was not true - but did open up the possibility that the bannerstone helped with fatigue when holding an atlatl still, while stalking skittish prey like deer. However, the elaborate designs, and some examples that are too large to have ever been useful, suggest that they also had a ritualistic purpose.
Provenance: private Kansas City, Missouri, USA collection; ex-John Townsend collection, formed in the 1970s and earlier
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#161912
- Condition: All have losses and chips to wings and peripheries as shown. Surface abrasions and scratches. Find site label on one, and inventory number written on another.
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