Bird stones are

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

, abstract roughly bird-shaped stone carvings made by Native Americans. The artifacts were a common inclusion in graves and thought to have ceremonial importance. They first appeared in the middle Archaic period around 5,000 years ago and continued into the early

Woodland period In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact i ...

to about 2,500 years before present. The exact purpose of these artifacts is not known, but most have a small hole drilled at the base of the neck and another at the aft end, presumably for mounting. Some theories suggest they were part of an

atlatl A spear-thrower, spear-throwing lever, or ''atlatl'' (pronounced or ; Classical Nahuatl, Nahuatl ''ahtlatl'' ) is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in Dart (missile), dart or javelin-throwing, and includes a Plain bearing, b ...

(a short rod to hurl spears), in addition to their ceremonial uses. A new theory recently arising from an amateur archaeologist focused on Native American fiber processing, is the bird stone was a tool used for mat-making and weaving. Many stones have been found near waterways and swamp areas where reeds grow, these areas being where materials for mat-making were collected and processed. The holes in the base were potentially used for reed straighteners, or even twine making. The smooth surface of the stone is perfect for flattening fibers without breaking and the beak feature used to push reeds together. Mats were an important facet of every household and important items of trade. The Pacific Northwest tribes used a similar tool made of wood, also bird shaped. It has also been suggested that these artifacts were worn as decorative items denoting marriage status or pregnancy, and as

totem A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While the word ...

s representing tribes. Bird stones were mostly made east of the

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, and the thousands in existence have been found primarily in New York, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. The stones range in length from , and have unique variations in style. Most are ground from grayish green, banded

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

, and occasionally porphyry.

References

Native American relics Native American sculpture Native American tools Stone sculptures Birds in art Hardstone carving Pre-Columbian art {{US-archaeology-stub

See also

References