birdstone

[mickey]

after 20 years of searching i finally found one. hope to see you all at the may '09 columbus state show

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

Kudos anyway to you mickey. I have been at it for years and years, and its something i always since a boy dreamed of finding. Its better than an old sword or coin. Its a birdstone. So your Mod gives you a banner on that find, and so do 7 other experienced collectors. Good job. I love the pics and will be back to see em time and time again. You never know I may get me one, but its just probably a dream that I have been playing out for years. Great, and wonderful find. John

 

[mickey]

thank you. (although i'm still not sure what banner means). lol. bdm

 

[Hippy]

thank you. (although i'm still not sure what banner means). lol. bdm

On the homepage of the Treasurenet website are pictures of finds that people have recently made. Your find has to be nominated to get up there using the "Nominate for Banner" text under your username on the left side of the screen. People who reply to your post can nominate you for a "banner" find which would mean a picture of your find would be on the top of the home page.

There are two finds up there from the artifact forum which are Dork's pipe and another guy's Carter Cave clovis. Both are recent finds. They got nominated for the banner and had enough votes to get up there.

Hope this helps.

Hippy

 

[creek astronaut]

great find!

 

[jeff of pa]

just an FYI on

What I look for

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,217089.0.html

If they Meet These Requrements.

Yes as Hippy says,Voting Helps

 

[Goldiver]

Sweeeet score Mickey!! I just love the insitu pic! Thanks so much for sharing your finds with us.

Steve

 

[ohioaxeman]

awesome find mickey.... banner all the way!

 

[creekhunter]

Another BANNER vote!

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

I have begged everyone for a banner. I dont think were gonna get one on this guys. It is well worthy tho. John

 

[Tnmountains]

Mickey
What a great find to be sure. Congratulations on getting the pictures. Are the breaks in it ancient? I do not know if anyone had asked or you mentioned how you thought they occured. I can not imagine them discarding a birdstone whole. I have only found a small fragment of a head though I have seen a few. That is a fine example even with the damage. Am curious if it is balanced at the hole ? Thank you for sharing your find and your knowledge on this site. Hope you take time to share many more. Congratulations on a great find and super post.
Regards,
TnMountains

 

[mickey]

the damage seems fairly recent. other than the obvious damage to the beak, there are a couple of dings on the tail. other than that, it is in pretty good shape for a surface found birdstone. i feel it was probably plowed out of a burial. there is a little incrustation under the neck which may have been caused by being in contact with a burial. i went back and searched the area a few times since, but i have not yet found his brother or sister. i'll let you know if i find another one, but you might have to wait another 20 years!

 

[Tnmountains]

Well its a great example. Hopefully it will not be twenty more years. Great find and good luck in your search.

TnMtns

 

[lostlake88]

Banner find!.. That is definately a once in a lifetime. You probably have a better chance of finding a Clovis.

 

[lostlake88]

this is my suggestion as to how birdstones were used-as hair ornaments. bar-type birdstones are from the glacial kame time period (3000bc to 500bc) they are found from new england to georgia, but are concentrated in ohio, indiana, michigan, new york, and southern ontario. they are made mostly of banded slate and average about 4 inches long. popeyed birdstones are from the same time period and are even more rare than the bar-type. they have protuding knobs representing eyes. bust-type birdstones are the most rare type. they are from the adena (early woodland) to the hopewell (middle woodland) time periods. they do not have the characteristic body or tail and normally consist of the head and neck only. good hunting!

Your aformentioned are all contemporary with the exception of one photograph. Native Americans did not tie dead birds to their head. It is possible that Birdstones were attached to the head for ceremonial purposes. Some archies believe they were attached to the head of pregnant women because of one Adena mound discovery in west Virginia.

 

[mickey]

you may be right lostlake. i guess having a dead bird on your head could be pretty smelly! i hope to speak to some "experts" at the aso meeting on may 17th in columbus ohio to get their opinions. a friend of mine found 2 birdstones associated with a burial at the Baker II site at the mouth of Green Creek, Ohio (see archaeology of eastern north america vol 21 fall 1993). they were placed beside opposite sides of the cranium. personally, i don't think that they were used as atl atl weights like some people believe. it seems that native americans and modern americans have this fixation with putting feathers on their heads. i am referring not only to indian headdresses (war bonnets, if you will), but also to women's fashions in the late 19th century which spelled doom to a variety of bird species that were prized for their plumage. i must plead guilty in part to this myself because i have found a few crow feathers while out in the field and i always get this urge to stick the feathers in my cap! i hope to find more info re birdstones associated with burials before i feel more confident in my convictions. until then.

 

[Neanderthal]

personally, i don't think that they were used as atl atl weights like some people believe.

For reference, check into the Smithsonians atlatl collections (awesome!). There are atlatl handles with certain "birds" affixed to them. New Guinea atlatls are some that come to mind, they carved out of very hard wood birds (that look strikingly similar to our hardstone birdstones) and attached them to handles. However, some of them are pretty large and intricate and I'm not sure that some aren't more for decorative purposes.

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

I was told years ago, and It may be just rumor, and I have no proof of this what so ever. That birdstones were believed to have been placed on the heads of the dead. I was told that they thought the bird would fly the soul to a better place. So this is not the first time that I have heard of it being worn on the head. I really don't believe that they were atl weights either. John