It would probably be vain to attempt to determine how pendant ornaments
first came into use, whether from some utilitarian practice or through
some superstitious notion. It matters not, however, whether the first
pendant was an implement, a utensil, or a fetichitic talisman; it has
developed by slow stages into an ornament upon which has been lavished
the best efforts of culture and skill. The simple gorget of shell
suspended upon the naked breast of the preadamite is the prototype of
many a costly jewel and many a princely decoration. With the American
savage it was a guardian spirit, invested with the mystery and the power
of the sea, and among the more cultured tribes became in time the
receptacle of the most ambitious efforts of a phenomenal art. The
important place the gorget has taken in ornament and as a means of
displaying personal aggrandizement has made it a most powerful agent in
the evolution of the arts of taste.
As a rule the larger and more important pendants are employed as
gorgets, but vast numbers of the smaller specimens are strung with beads
at intervals along the strings, attached as auxiliary pendants to the
larger gorgets, suspended from the nose, ears, and wrists, or form
tinkling borders to head-dresses and garments. These pendants consist
either of entire shells, or of parts of shells, pierced or grooved to
facilitate suspension. The purely artificial forms are infinitely
varied. The character of the shell, however, has much to do with the
form of the finished ornaments, deciding their thickness and often their
outline. In size they range from extremely minute forms to plates six or
more inches in diameter. The perforations, in position and number, are
greatly varied, but as a rule the larger discoidal pendants will be
found to have two marginal perforations for suspension.
These nicely-polished shell-disks afforded tempting tablets for the
primitive artist, and retain many specimens of his work as an engraver.
The engraved specimens, however, should be treated separately, according
to the class of design which they contain. Plain pendants need but a
brief notice, and may be treated together as one group, with such
subdivisions only as may be suggested by their form, their derivation,
or their geographical distribution.
_Plain pendants._--It will be unnecessary to cite authorities to show
that our ancient peoples were fond of pendant ornaments, and wore them
without stint, but to illustrate the manner in which they were used and
the methods of combining them with other articles of jewelry in
necklaces, bracelets, &c., I shall refer briefly to the literature of
the period of American discovery.
The inhabitants of Mexico are said to have been very simple in the
matter of dress, but displayed much vanity in their profuse employment
of personal ornament. Besides feathers and jewels, with which they
adorned their clothes, they wore pendants to the ears, nose, and lips,
as well as necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. The ear ornaments of the
poor were shells, pieces of crystal, amber, and other brilliant stones,
but the rich wore pearls, emeralds, amethysts, or other gems, set in
gold.[122] The priestly personages so graphically delineated in the
ancient Aztec manuscripts are as a rule loaded down with pendant
ornaments. In traveling north along the west coast of Mexico the Friar
Niza encountered Indians who wore many large shells of mother of pearl
about their necks, and farther up toward Cibola the inhabitants wore
pearl shells upon their foreheads;[123] and Cabeça de Vaca when among
the pueblos of New Mexico noticed beads and corals that came from the
"South Sea." Ornaments made from marine shells are found in many of the
ancient ruins to-day. They are also highly valued by the modern Indians
of this region.
In the earliest accounts of the Indians of the Atlantic coast we find
frequent mention of the use of pendants and gorgets, and the manner of
wearing them as ornaments. Beverly, after having described beads made of
a shell resembling the English buglas, says that they also make
"runtees" of the same shell, and grind them as smooth as peak. "These
are either large like an oval Bead, drill'd the length of the Oval, or
else they are circular and flat, almost an Inch over, and one Third of
an Inch thick, and drill'd edgeways. Of this Shell they also make round
Tablets of about four Inches Diameter, which they polish as smooth as
the other, and sometimes they etch or grave thereon Circles, Stars, a
half Moon, or any other Figure suitable to their Fancy. These they wear
instead of Medals before or behind their Neck, and use the _Peak_,
_Runtees_, and _Pipes_ for Coronets, Bracelets, Belts, or long Strings
hanging down before the Breast, or else they lace their Garments with
them, and adorn their _Tomahawks_, and every other thing that they
value."[124] The "Pipes" here spoken of were probably long, heavy
cylindrical beads.
In referring to this class of ornaments, Lafitau says: "The collars
which the savages sometimes wear around the neck are about a foot in
diameter, and are not different from those which one now sees on some
antiques, on the necks of statues of barbarians. The northern savages
wear on the breast a plate of hollow shell, as long as the hand, which
has the same effect as that which was called _Bulla_ among the
Romans."[125]
Wood, speaking of the Indians of Northern New England, in 1634, says:
"Although they be thus poore, yet is there in them the sparkes of
naturall pride, which appeares in their longing desire after many kinds
of ornaments, wearing pendants in their eares, as formes of birds,
beasts, and fishes carved out of bone, shels, and stone, with long
bracelets of their curious wampompeag and mowhackees, which they put
about their necks and loynes."[126]
Kalm says of the Indians of Lorette, near Quebec, Canada, that "round
their necks they have a string of violet wampums, with little white
wampums between them. These wampums are small, of the figure of oblong
pearls, and made of the shells which the _English_ call clams. At the
end of the wampum strings many of the _Indians_ wear a large French
silver coin, with the king's effigy, on their breasts; others have a
large shell on the breast, of a fine white colour, which they value very
high, and is very dear; others, again, have no ornament at all round the
neck."[127]
Pendants of metal and medals of European manufacture soon replaced in a
great measure the primitive gorgets of shell; and early in the history
of the tribes a heterogeneous collection of native beads, silver
crosses, and traders' medals, ornamented the breasts of the simple
savages.
In studying the habits and customs of our native peoples we look with a
great deal of interest upon the earliest historical records, but
generally find it prudent to remember that the "personal equation" was
unusually large in those days, and in studying the illustrations given
in the works of early writers we must make due allowance for the
well-known tendency to exaggerate as well as for the fact that the
artist has more frequently drawn from descriptions than from sketches
made on the spot.
In Plate XLV two examples are given which seem to me to be trustworthy,
as they agree with the descriptions given, and are in a general way
characteristic of the American aborigines. Fig. 1 is reproduced,
original size, from Plate 2, Volume II, of Lafitau, and shows a broad
necklace ornamented with figures that resemble arrow heads. From this,
by means of a cord, is suspended a large circular disk with concave
front, which undoubtedly represents a shell gorget. In front of this and
suspended from the necklace are two long strands of beads of various
sizes and shapes, which give completeness to a very tasteful ornament.
In the same plate is a pretty fair drawing of a native in costume. He is
represented wearing a necklace similar to the one just described. An
enlarged drawing of this ornament is given in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 I
reproduce a necklace from a plate in De Bry, which consists of a string
of beads with two large disks that look more like metal than shell. A
similar ornament is shown in Fig. 4, but with figured disks and
secondary pendants. It is copied from the Codex of the Vatican. A common
form of necklace among the ancient Aztecs consisted of small univalve
shells suspended from a string. One of these, with other pendants, is
shown in Fig. 5. It is also copied from the Vatican Codex. Others of a
much more complex nature may be found in the same manuscript. Of even
greater interest are the beautiful necklaces, with their pendants, found
in the sculptures of Mexico and Yucatan.[128] Three of these are shown
in Figs. 6, 7, and 8. One has a disk with human features engraved upon
it, another has a cross with equal arms, and another a T-shaped cross.
All have more or less auxiliary ornamentation. In Fig. 9 I present a
bracelet of beads and pendants from Peru which illustrates one of the
simpler uses of pendants. I have not learned whether the parts of this
ornament were originally arranged as given in the cut or not; the
original stringing may have been somewhat different. The beads are
mostly of shell, and are of a variety of colors, white, red, yellow, and
gray. The discoidal and cylindrical forms are both represented. The
former range from one-eighth to three-eighths of an inch in diameter;
the latter are one-eighth of an inch in thickness and three-eighths in
length. The larger pendants, made of whitish shell, are carved to
represent some life form, probably a bird; a large perforation near the
upper end passes through the head, two oblique notches with deep lines
at the sides, define the wings, and a series of notches at the wide end
represent the tail. Two smaller pendants are still simpler in form,
while another, with two nearly central perforations and notched edges,
resembles a button.
[Illustration: PL. XLV--ANCIENT PENDANTS.
1, 2. Necklaces, from Lafitau.
3. From De Bry.
4, 5. From Mexican Paintings.
6, 7, 8. From ancient sculptures.
9. Bracelet from a Peruvian grave.]
_Eastern forms._--The great number of elaborately carved and engraved
gorgets of shell found among the antiquities of the Atlantic slope, all
of which need careful descriptions, so overshadow the simple forms
illustrated in Plate XLVI, that only a brief description of the latter
need be given. Rudeness of workmanship and simplicity of form do not in
any sense imply greater antiquity or a less advanced state of art. The
simpler forms of plain pendants constituted the every-day jewelry of the
average people and, like beads, were probably used freely by all who
desired to do so. Many forms are found--circular, oval, rectangular,
triangular, pear-shaped, and annular. The more ordinary forms are found
in mounds and graves in all parts of the country; other forms are more
restricted geographically, and probably exhibit features peculiar to the
works of a particular clan, tribe, or group of tribes. Even these simple
forms may have possessed some totemic or mystic significance; it is not
impossible that the plainer disks may have had significant figures
painted upon them. Such of the forms as are found to have definite
geographic limits become of considerable interest to the archæologist.
In method of manufacture they do not differ from the most ordinary
implements or beads, the margins being trimmed, the surfaces polished
and the perforations made in a precisely similar manner.
In Plate XLVI I present a number of plain circular disks. The larger
specimens are often as much as four or even five inches in diameter and
the smaller fraternize with beads, as I have shown in Plate XLV. Figs. 1
and 2 are from a mound at Paint Rock Ferry, Tenn. They are neat,
moderately thin, concavo-convex disks, with smooth surfaces and rounded
edges. The first has two perforations at the upper edge, while the other
has similarly placed but much smaller ones, besides a small central
perforation surrounded by an incised circle. The national collection
contains similar specimens from most of the Atlantic States; they differ
from the larger discoidal beads only in the method of perforation. A
typical specimen of this class, four and a half inches in diameter, is
shown in Fig. 3. It was associated with the remains of a number of
children in a mound in Hardin County, Ohio. Disks of this class were
usually suspended upon the breast with the concave side out. That many
of the specimens described were suspended in this way is indicated by
the character of the abrasion produced by the cords. On the concave side
the cord of suspension has worn deep grooves between the perforations,
and on the opposite or convex side similar grooves extend obliquely
upward from the holes toward the margin of the disk, indicating the
passage of the cord upward and outward around the neck of the wearer.
A large white disk, similar to the one just described, was obtained from
a grave at Accotink, Va. It is five inches in diameter and has one
central and three marginal perforations. It is made from a _Busycon
perversum_, and is neatly shaped and well polished.
A fine specimen two inches in diameter was obtained from a mound on the
French Broad River, Tenn., and, with many other similar specimens, is
now in the national collection.
The central perforation is often very much enlarged. A number of
specimens, recently sent to the National Museum, from a mound in
Auglaize County, Ohio, show several stages of this enlargement. One
specimen five inches across has a perforation nearly one inch in
diameter, while in another the perforation is enlarged until the disk
has become a ring. These gorgets show evidences of long use, the
surfaces and edges being worn and the perforations much extended in the
manner described above. They have been derived from the _Busycon
perversum_.
In Fig. 4 I illustrate an annular gorget from a mound in Alexander
County, Ill. It was found associated with ornaments of copper by the
side of a human skull, and is hence supposed to have been an ear
ornament. It is fragmentary and has suffered greatly from decay, the
surface being mostly covered with a dark film of decomposed shell
substance, which when broken away, exposes the chalky surface of the
shell. These shell rings, so far as I can learn, have been found in the
States of Ohio and Illinois only.
Rectangular pendants are much more rare. The national collection
contains one rude specimen from Texas. It is about two inches wide by
two and a half long, and is made from the base of some large
dextral-whorled shell. A similar but much more finished specimen comes
from Georgia, and is preserved in the New York Natural History Museum.
A large keystone-shaped gorget with rounded corners was obtained from an
ancient burial place at Beverly, Canada. It is illustrated in Plate L,
Fig. 1.
The small pendant shown in Fig. 5 is given by Schoolcraft in "Notes on
the Iroquois." It represents rudely the human figure, and is ornamented
with eight perpendicular and four or five transverse dots. It was found
on the site of an old fort near Jamesville, N. Y. In the same work Mr.
Schoolcraft illustrates another small pendant, which is reproduced in
Fig. 6. The body is heart-shaped, the perforation being made through a
rectangular projection at the upper end. It was found at Onondaga, N. Y.
The small pendant presented in Fig. 7 is from West Bloomfield, N. Y. It
has been suspended by means of a shallow groove near the upper end. It
is made from the basal point of a dextral-whorled shell.
The handsome little pendant shown in Fig. 8 was found with similar
specimens in Monroe County, New York--probably on some ancient village
site. It is well preserved and has been made from the columella of a
dextral-whorled shell. An ornamental design, consisting of lines and
dots, is engraved upon the face. A small, deeply countersunk perforation
has been made near the upper end. These objects have apparently been
strung with beads, as the perforations show evidence of such abrasion as
beads would produce. Many of the New York specimens have a new look, and
their form suggests the possibility of civilized influence. They are
certainly more recent than the western and southern specimens.
A small cylindrical pendant is illustrated in Fig. 9. A large, neat
perforation has been made at the upper end, and the middle portion of
the body is ornamented by a series of encircling grooves. This specimen
has been made from a large _Unio_ and was obtained from a mound in Union
County, Ky.
[Illustration: PL. XLVI--PENDANT ORNAMENTS--EASTERN FORMS.]
_Western forms._--In variety of form the plain pendants of the
California coast excel all others. Specimens from the graves are
generally well preserved, not having lost their original iridescence,
although so much decayed as to suffer considerably from exfoliation.
As indicated by the present well preserved condition of these shell
ornaments, they are probably not of very ancient date; indeed it is
highly probable that many of them are post-Columbian.
Cabrillo visited the island of Santa Rosa in 1542 and found a numerous
and thriving people. In 1816 only a small remnant of the inhabitants
remained, and these were removed to the main-land by Catholic priests.
Their destruction is attributed to both war and famine. The history of
the other islands is doubtless somewhat similar.
Articles made from shell are found to resemble each other very closely,
whether from the islands or the main-land. All probably belong to the
same time, and although the peoples of the islands are said to have
spoken a different language from those of the main-land, their arts were
apparently pretty much the same. They do not differ, as far as works in
shell are concerned, from the modern tribes of the main-land. There is
also a noticeable resemblance between the art of the ancient California
Islanders and that of the present inhabitants of the great Pacific
archipelagoes.
The record of many of the specimens obtained from these islands seems to
be very incomplete, scarcely more being known than the fact that they
were obtained from the ancient graves. Since, however, they are almost
exclusively ornaments belonging probably to a single period, detailed
accounts of their methods of occurrence would not add greatly to their
value.
In previous chapters vessels, hooks, and beads made of the _Haliotis_
have been described, and the high estimation in which they are
everywhere held briefly noted. The variety of ways in which this shell
is utilized is indeed remarkable and the multitude of forms into which
it is worked for ornament is a matter of surprise. All are neatly and
effectively worked, and evince no little skill and taste on the part of
the makers.
The _Haliotis_ is not the only shell used, but it has no rival in point
of beauty. Bivalve shells are utilized to a considerable extent, many
tasteful things being made from the _Fissurella_, the _Mytilus_, the
_Pachydesma_, and the _Pecten_. The perforations are generally neatly
made and are more numerous than in similar eastern specimens; besides
those for suspension there are frequently many others for the attachment
of secondary pendants and for fastening to the costume. Many specimens
are ornamented with edgings of notches and crossed lines but very few
have been found on which significant characters have been engraved, and
we look in vain for parallels to the curious designs characteristic of
the gorgets of the mound-builders.
A glance at the numerous examples given in Plates XLVII, XLVIII, and
XLIX will give a good idea of the multiplicity of forms into which these
ornaments are wrought.
A rather remarkable group of pendants is represented by Fig. 1. They are
characterized by a deep scallop at the left, with a long curved
hook-like projection above. They take their form from the shape of the
lip of the _Haliotis_, from which they are made--the hook being the
upper point of the outer lip where it joins the body, and the scallop
the line of the suture. The body of the ornament is formed from the lip
of the shell. In size they vary to some extent with the shells from
which they are derived. The body is at times quite oval and again
slender and hooked like the blade of a sickle. The perforations are
generally very numerous, a fact that indicates their use as central
pieces for composite pendants. It is apparent that the wearers thought
more of the exquisite coloring of these ornaments than of the outline or
surface finish. This is only one of many instances that prove the innate
and universal appreciation of beauty of color by savage peoples.
In Fig. 2 a fine example of the subtriangular or keystone-shaped
pendants is presented. The edges are very neatly cut and the corners
slightly rounded. The back is ground smooth, but on the front the
original surface of the shell is preserved, the colors being extremely
rich and brilliant. A single perforation has been drilled near the upper
end. It is made from a _Haliotis rufescens_, and was obtained from the
island of Santa Rosa.
The handsome specimen shown in Fig. 3 was obtained from a grave on the
island of San Miguel. It has suffered much from decay. There are four
neatly made perforations near the center. It has apparently been cut
from the same shell as the preceding.
Fig. 4 is a small keystone-shaped specimen having two perforations.
Fig. 5 represents a small, delicate specimen of rectangular shape,
having two minute perforations. This, as well as the preceding, was
obtained from a grave on the island of San Miguel.
Fig. 6 illustrates a small oval, wafer-like specimen, the edges of which
have been ornamented with a series of crossed lines. It has three neat
perforations on the line of the longer axis. It is from the island of
Santa Cruz.
Fig. 7 represents a small button-like disk with a central perforation;
the margin is ornamented with a series of radiating lines. It was
obtained from Santa Barbara.
A pendant of very peculiar form is shown in Fig. 8. The oval body has
three marginal projections, all of which are perforated; there is also a
perforation near the center. The surface retains a heavy coating of some
dark substance, which gives the ornament much the appearance of corroded
metal. It was obtained from San Miguel Island.
In a number of cases advantage has been taken of the natural
perforations of the shell, both to give variety to the outline of small
pendants and to save the labor of making artificial perforations. A very
handsome little specimen is shown in Fig. 9. The two indentations above
and below represent two of the natural perforations of the shell;
artificial perforations are made in each of the four corners or wings.
It was also obtained from the island of San Miguel.
Fig. 10 represents a leaf-shaped pendant with notched edges and a single
perforation. It comes from the island of Santa Cruz.
[Illustration: PL. XLVII--PLAIN PENDANTS--PACIFIC COAST FORMS.
(1/1)]
The examples given are typical of the very large class of ornaments
derived from the _Haliotidæ_. The striking specimens shown in
Plate XLVIII are, with one exception, made from shells of this class.
The two sickle-shaped pendants illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 are made
from the broadened inner lip of the _Haliotis californianus_ (?). In one
a single perforation has been made near the upper end; in the other
there are two, one near each end. The faces have been neatly dressed and
the corners ornamented with minute notches. They are from graves on
Santa Cruz Island. Two exquisite specimens, also from Santa Cruz Island,
are presented in Figs. 3 and 4. They have been cut from the body of a
_Haliotis splendens_ (?), and finished with much care. Two perforations
have been made near the upper margin, which is arched or curved while
the lower is nearly straight. The edges are neatly notched. Although
somewhat altered by exposure these objects are still very pretty.
A very neat, well preserved little pendant is shown in Fig. 5. The
specimen presented in Fig. 6 is peculiar in having a series of five
perforations, one near the middle and the others near the ends. The
example given in Fig. 7 has two perforations, one at each end. These are
all made from species of the _Haliotis_.
The specimen presented in Fig. 8 is made from the lip of a _Cyprea
spadicea_ with very little change except the carefully made perforation.
It is from the island of San Miguel. The idea of beautifying ornaments
made from the _Haliotis_ and other shells by notching the edges may have
been suggested by the natural notches characteristic of the _Cypreas_.
[Illustration: PL. XLVIII--PENDANT ORNAMENTS OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
1-7. Pendants made of the _Haliotis_. (1/1)
8. Pendant made of a _Cyprea_. (1/1)]
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Plate XLIX, illustrate a group of small, delicate,
ladle-shaped pendants. The perforation for suspension is at the upper
end of the handle and the body has an oval or circular perforation,
which is often so enlarged as to leave only a narrow ring, like the rim
of an eyeglass. The specimen shown in Fig. 3 has two lobes, with a large
perforation or opening in each. In one instance the handle is quite wide
at the upper end and ornamented by two deep lateral notches. The edges
of these specimens are nearly always adorned with notches or crossed
lines. All are fashioned from the _Haliotis_, and although considerably
stained are still well enough preserved to show the pearly lusters of
that shell.
Circular and oval disks are also numerous and vary much in finish; some
have a great number of perforations or indentations, and nearly all are
neatly notched around the margins. Examples are given in Figs. 4 and 5.
The national collection contains a number of rings and pieces of rings
made from the valves of a large clam, probably a _Pectunculus_, one
example of which is shewn in Fig. 6. The convex back of the shell is
ground off until a marginal ring only remains. A perforation is made
near the angle of the beak. The shell is from the California coast, but
the rings were collected mostly if not entirely from Arizona and New
Mexico. It is not impossible that the tribes of the interior procured
these articles from white traders, as they are known to have secured
other shell ornaments in this way.
The natives of the California coast were not slow in taking advantage of
natural forms to aid their art or to save labor. The shells of the
_Fissurellidæ_ as well as of the _Haliotidæ_ have been in great favor.
They have been used as beads and pendants in their natural state or the
natural perforations have been enlarged until only a ring has been left,
or the margin and sides have been ground down until nothing of the
original form or surface remained. Two of these forms are shown in
Figs. 7 and 8. They are from graves on San Miguel Island, and are made
from the _Lucupina crenulata_; others come from Santa Cruz Island; and
probably also from the adjoining islands as well as from the main-land.
Rings are also made from other shells. Examples made from the _Acmæa
mitra_ and _Cyprea spadicea_ are shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. They come
from San Miguel.
[Illustration: PL. XLIX--PLAIN PENDANTS--PACIFIC COAST FORMS.
(1/1)]