I now come to a class of works which are new and unique, and in more
than one respect are the most important objects of aboriginal art yet
found within the limits of the United States. These relics are four in
number, and come from that part of the mound-building district occupied
at one time by the "stone grave" peoples--three from Tennessee and one
from Missouri. Similar designs are not found in other materials, and,
indeed, nothing at all resembling them can be found, so far as I know,
either in stone or in clay. If such have been painted or engraved on
less enduring materials they are totally destroyed. I shall first
describe the specimens themselves, and subsequently dwell at some length
upon their authenticity, their significance, and their place in art.
First, I present, in Plate LXXI, a shell gorget on which is engraved a
rather rude delineation of a human figure. The design occupies the
concave side of a large shell disk cut from a _Busycon perversum_. Near
the upper margin are the usual holes for suspension. The engraved design
fills the central portion of the plate and is inclosed by two
approximately parallel lines, between which and the edge of the shell
there is a plain belt three-fourths of an inch wide. A casual observer
would probably not recognize any design whatever in the jumble of half
obliterated lines that occupies the inclosed space. It will first be
noticed that a column about three-fourths of an inch in width stands
erect in the center of the picture; from this spring a number of lines,
forming serpentine arms, which give the figure as much the appearance of
an octopus crowded into a collector's alcohol jar as of a human
creature. A little study will convince one, however, that the central
column represents the human body, and the tangle of lines surrounding it
will be found to represent the arms, legs, hands, feet, and their
appendages--no line within the border being without its office. The
upper extremity of the body is occupied by a circle one-eighth of an
inch in diameter, which represents the eye. The head is not
distinguished from the body by any sort of constriction for the neck,
but has evidently been crowned by a rude aurora-like crest similar to
that found in so many aboriginal designs. This does not appear in the
engraving given, as it, as well as other features, was so nearly
obliterated as to escape observation until the idea was suggested by the
study of other similar designs. The mouth is barely suggested, being
represented by three shallow lines placed so low on the trunk that they
occupy what should be the chest. From the side of the head a number of
lines, probably meant for plumes, extend across the bordering lines
almost to the edge of the shell; below this are two perforated loops,
which seem to take the place of ears; the one on the right is doubly
perforated and has a peculiar extension, in a bent or elbowed line,
across the border. The arms are attached to the sides of the body near
the middle in a haphazard sort of way and are curiously double jointed;
they terminate, however, in well-defined hands against the right and
left borders, the thumb and fingers being, in each case, distinctly
represented. The legs and feet are at first exceedingly hard to make
out, but when once traced are as clear as need be. The body terminates
abruptly below within an inch of the base of the inclosed space. One leg
extends directly downward, the foot resting upon the border line; the
other extends backward from the base of the trunk and rests against the
border line at the right; the legs have identical markings, which
probably represent the costume. Each foot terminates in a single
well-defined talon or claw, which folds upward against the knee. This is
a most interesting feature, and one which this design possesses in
common with the three other drawings of the human figure found in
Tennessee. The spaces between the various members of the figure are
filled in with ornamental appendages, which seem to be attached to the
hands and feet, and probably represent plumes. The numerous perforations
in this specimen are worthy of attention: within the border line there
are twenty-six, which vary from one-fourth to one-sixteenth of an inch
in diameter. They are placed mostly at the joints of the figure or at
the junction of two or more lines. Such perforations are of frequent
occurrence in this class of gorgets and may have had some particular
significance to their possessors. This specimen was found in the great
mound at Sevierville, Tenn., upon the breast of a skeleton, and is now
in the National Collection. It has suffered considerably from decay, the
surface being deeply furrowed, pitted, and discolored. The holes are
much enlarged and the lines in places are almost obliterated.
I began the study of this design with the thought that, in reference to
this specimen at least, Professor Jones was right, and that the confused
group of lines might be the meaningless product of an idle fancy, but
ended by being fully satisfied that no single line or mark is without
its place or its significance.
[Illustration: PL. LXXI--SHELL GORGET--THE HUMAN FIGURE.
McMahan Mound, Tennessee.
(2/3)]
After having examined this design so critically, it will be an easy
matter to interpret that engraved upon the tablet illustrated in
Plate LXXII. Although found in widely separated localities, and engraved
in a somewhat different style, they are identical in type, and exhibit
but slight differences in detail. At the top of the plate we have the
two doubly conical perforations for suspension, but the double border
line is not completed above, being interrupted by the plumes from the
head. The head itself is decorated with the usual crown of radiating
lines, a small circle with a central pit represents the eye, and below
this is a well-defined mouth with a double row of teeth. Extending to
the right from the mouth is an appendage consisting of one straight and
two interrupted lines, which may be a part of the costume, or, since it
issues from the mouth, may possibly symbolize speech. The body, which is
short and straight, is divided vertically into three parts; the central
space contains a large conical perforation, and is covered with a
lace-work of lines; the lateral spaces are ornamented with rows of
buttons or scales, which consist of meagerly outlined circles with
central dots. The curiously folded arms have precisely the same relative
positions as the corresponding members in the other specimen, and the
fingers touch the bordering line on the right and left, the thumb being
turned backward against the elbow. The legs are represented in a manner
that suggests a sitting posture, the rounded knees coming in front of
and joining the base of the body; in position and decoration they repeat
the other specimen. The feet, or the rounded extremities that represent
them, rest upon the border line, as in the case previously described,
and terminate in upturned talons that are long, curved, and jointed, and
terminate in square or blunt tips. Plume-like appendages are attached to
the arms and legs, and fill the spaces not occupied by the members of
the body; these plumes or pendants are always represented by folded
bands or fillets which are ornamented on one side with dots. A plume
attached to the left side of the head is represented by two curved
lines, which reach to the edge of the shell. There are five
perforations, two for suspension, two at the sides of the face, and one
near the middle of the trunk. This specimen is in a very perfect state
of preservation, the surface being smooth and but little stained. It is
somewhat pear-shaped, resembling in this respect the mask-like gorgets
previously described. It is about seven inches in height and five in
width, and has been made from a very thick and compact shell, probably a
_Busycon_. It was obtained from a mound in Meigs County, Tennessee, and
is preserved in the Peabody Museum. In mechanical execution this
specimen is much superior to the preceding one; the edges and surface of
the shell are nicely dressed, although the lines of the design are
indifferently cut.
[Illustration: PL. LXXII--SHELL GORGET--THE HUMAN FIGURE.
Mound, Tennessee.
(3/4)]
Another unique shell gorget is presented in Plate LXXIII. It was
obtained from a mound in Southeastern Missouri, and is now in the
possession of Professor Potter, of Saint Louis. The disk is about four
and a half inches in diameter, and was originally nearly circular, but
the edges are now much decayed and battered. A cut with a brief
description is given by Mr. A. J. Conant in his recent work,
"Foot-prints of Vanished Races," page 95. My cut is made from a
photograph obtained from Professor Putnam, of the Peabody Museum. This
is probably the same photograph used by Mr. Conant. The engraved design
is of a totally distinct type from the last, and evinces a much higher
grade of skill in the artist. It is encircled by six nearly parallel
lines, which occupy about half an inch of the border of the disk.
Portions of these still remain, the inner one being nearly entire.
Between this and the second line are two perforations for suspension.
The idea first suggested by a glance at the engraved design is that it
strongly resembles the work of the ancient Mexicans, and the second idea
of many archæologists will probably be that there may be a doubt of its
genuineness. Setting this question aside for the present, let us examine
the engraving in detail. Placing the plate so that the two perforations
are at the left, we have the principal figure in an upright posture.
This figure apparently represents a personage of some importance, as he
is decked from head to foot with a profusion of ornaments and symbols.
He is shown in profile with the arms extended in action, and the feet
separated as if in the act of stepping forward. The head is large,
occupying about one-third of the height of the design. The elaborate
head-dress fills the upper part of the inclosed space, pendant plumes
descend to the shoulders before and behind, and circular ornaments are
attached to the hair and the ear. The conventionalized eye is lozenge or
diamond shaped, with a small conical pit for the pupil.
The profile shows a full forehead, a strong nose, and a prominent chin.
Two lines extend across the cheek from the bridge of the nose to the
base of the ear. In and projecting from the mouth is a symbolic figure,
the meaning of which can only be conjectured. The shoulders and body are
but meagerly represented. From the waist a peculiar apron-like object is
suspended, which reaches to the knees; it may be a part of the costume
or a priestly symbol. The legs and feet are dwarfed, but quite well
outlined. There are encircling bands at the knees and ankles, and a
fan-like extension of the costume, somewhat resembling the tail of a
bird, descends between the legs. Attached to the back, is a figure of a
rather extraordinary character. Similar figures may be seen in some of
the Mexican paintings, and seem to represent a contrivance for carrying
burdens, in which at times elfish figures are accommodated. The right
arm is extended forward, and the hand grasps a singular shaft, with
which a blow is aimed at the severed head of a victim, which is held
face downward by the left hand of the standing figure. The severed head
still retains the plumed cap, from which a long pendant descends in
front of the face. The eye is lozenge-shaped. A zigzag line crosses the
cheek from the ear to the bridge of the nose, and a curious symbolic
figure is represented as issuing from the mouth. The shaft held in the
right hand seems to issue from a circular figure, doubtless of symbolic
character, which occupies the space in front of the head of the standing
figure. It is possible that the figure which issues from the mouth of
the victim represents the point of this mystic shaft which has
penetrated the head, although we should have to allow some inaccuracies
in the drawing if this were the case. Any one at all familiar with the
curious pictographic manuscripts of the ancient Mexicans will see at a
glance that we have here a sacrificial scene, in which a priest seems to
be engaged in the sacrifice of a human being. In the extraordinary
manuscripts of the ancient Aztecs we have many parallels to this design.
So closely does it approach the Aztec type that, although no duplicate
can be found in any of the codices, there is not a single idea, a single
member or ornament that has not its analogue in the Mexican manuscripts.
To make this clear to every one I present, in Plate LXXV, Fig. 4, a
single example for comparison. This one is selected from the manuscript
of M. De Féjerváry, preserved at Budapest, Hungary.[154] Fortunately for
the credit of this Missouri relic we do not find its duplicate--there
are only family resemblances; there are similar plumes, with similar
ornaments and pendants, similar costume and attitudes; there are similar
features and similar symbols; but there is no absolute identity, except
in motive and conception.
[Illustration: PL. LXXIII--SHELL GORGET--THE HUMAN FIGURE.
Missouri.
(1/1)]
Among the multitude of works of art collected within the last decade
very few will be found to surpass in interest the fragment of a shell
gorget from the McMahan Mound, at Sevierville, Tenn. The disk, when
entire, has been nearly five inches in diameter. A little more than
one-third had crumbled away, and the remaining portion was only
preserved by the most careful handling, and by immediate immersion in a
thin solution of glue. This specimen is the first of the kind ever
brought to light in this country, and must certainly be regarded as the
highest example of aboriginal art ever found north of Mexico. The
design, as in the other cases, has been engraved on the convex surface
of a polished shell disk, and represents two human figures, plumed and
winged and armed with eagles' talons, engaged in mortal combat. As in
the last specimen described, this has, at first sight, an exotic look,
bearing certainly in its conception a general resemblance to the
marvelous bas-reliefs of Mexico and Central America; but the resemblance
goes no further, and we are at liberty to consider it a northern work
_sui generis_. The design has apparently covered the entire tablet,
leaving no space for encircling lines. The two figures are in profile
and face each other in a fierce onset. Of the right-hand figure only the
body, one arm, and one leg remain. The left-hand figure is almost
complete; the outline of the face, one arm, and one foot being
obliterated. The right hand is raised above the head in the act of
brandishing a long double-pointed knife. At the same time this doughty
warrior seems to be receiving a blow in the face from the right hand of
the other combatant, in which is clutched a savage-looking blade, with a
curved point. The hands are vigorously drawn, the joints are correctly
placed, and the thumb presses down upon the outside of the forefinger in
its natural effort to tighten and secure the grasp. Two bands encircle
the wrists and probably represent bracelets. The arms and shoulders are
plain. The head is decorated with a single plume, which springs from a
circular ornament placed over the ear; an angular figure extends forward
from the base of this plume and probably represents what is left of the
head-dress proper; forward of this, on the very edge of the crumbling
shell, is one-half of the lozenge-shaped eye, the dot intended to
represent the pupil being almost obliterated. It is certainly a great
misfortune that both faces are completely gone; their exact character
must remain conjectural. A neat pendant ornament is suspended upon the
well-formed breast, and a broad belt encircles the waist, beneath which,
covering the abdomen, is a design that suggests the scales of a coat of
mail. The legs are well-defined and perfectly proportioned; the left
knee is bent forward and the foot is planted firmly on the ground, while
the right is thrown gracefully back against the rim at the left. Double
belts encircle the knees and ankles. The legs terminate in wonderfully
well-drawn eagle's feet, armed with vigorously curved talons. A very
interesting feature of the design is the highly conventionalized wing,
which is attached to the shoulder behind, and fills the space beneath
the uplifted arm. A broad many-feathered tail is spread out like a fan
behind the legs. The right hand figure, so far as seen, is an exact
duplicate of the left. A design of undetermined significance occupies
the space between the figures beneath the crossed arms; it may represent
conventionalized drapery, but is more probably symbolic in its
character. The heads have probably been a little too large for good
proportion, but the details of the anatomy are excellent. The muscles of
the shoulder, the breast and nipple, the waist, the buttock, and the
calves of the legs are in excellent drawing. The whole group is most
graphically presented. A highly ideal design, it is made to fill a given
space with a directness of execution and a unity of conception that is
truly surprising.
[Illustration: PL. LXXIV--ENGRAVED GORGET--FIGHTING FIGURES.
Tennessee.
(1/1)]
Let us turn for a moment from this striking effort of the mound-builders
to the early efforts of other peoples in the engraver's art. Here are
the drawings of the Troglodytes of France, scintillations of paleolithic
genius, which appear as a flash of light in the midst of a midnight sky.
They are truly remarkable. The clear-cut lines that shadow forth the
hairy mammoth suggest the graphic and forcible work of the Parisian of
to-day. The rude Esquimaux of our own time engraves images of a great
variety of natural objects on his ornaments and implements of ivory in a
manner that commands our admiration. But these shell tablets have
designs of a much higher grade. They not only represent natural objects
with precision, but they delineate conceptions of mythical creatures of
composite character for which nature affords no model. In execution the
best of these tablets will not compare with the wonderful works in
stucco and stone of Palenque, or the elaborate sculptures of the Aztecs,
but they are, like them, vigorous in action and complete in conception.
In case the authenticity of these relics be questioned, the facts in
regard to them, so far as known, are here presented for reference. As to
the two specimens from Sevierville, Tenn. (Plates LXXI and LXXII), the
shadow of a doubt cannot be attached to them. Were there no record
whatever of the time or place of discovery, the evidence upon the faces
of the relics themselves would show satisfactorily that they are
genuine. They were taken from the great mound, which I have called the
McMahan Mound, at Sevierville, Tenn. This mound was opened in 1881 by
one of our most experienced collectors, Dr. E. Palmer. The specimens
when found were in a very advanced stage of decay, pitted, discolored,
and crumbling, and had to be handled with the utmost care to prevent
total disintegration. They were dried by the collector, immersed in a
weak solution of glue, and forwarded immediately to the National Museum
at Washington. In this mound a multitude of relics were found, a large
number being of shell, many of which are figured and described in this
paper. These two gorgets, as well as many others of more ordinary types
were found on or near the breasts of skeletons, and it is highly
probable that they were suspended about the necks of the dead just as
they had been worn by the living. By accurately ascertaining the
authenticity of one of these specimens we establish, so far as need be,
the genuineness of all of the same class. If one is genuine that is
sufficient; the others may or may not be so, without seriously effecting
the questions at issue, yet the occurrence of duplicate or closely
related specimens in widely separated localities furnishes confirmatory
evidence of no little importance. I do not wish to be understood as
casting a doubt upon any of the four specimens described, as I am
thoroughly convinced that there is no cause for suspicion.
The Missouri gorget, which has already been described and figured, was
obtained by unknown persons in Southeastern Missouri. Several years back
it came into the hands of Colonel Whitley, and from him it was obtained
by its present owner, Professor Potter, of Saint Louis. There has never
been a question as to its genuineness, and according to Professor
Hilder, who saw it shortly after its discovery, the appearance and
condition of the specimen were such that it could not have been of
fraudulent manufacture. It was chalky and crumbling from decay, the
lines of the design bearing equal evidence with the general surface of
the shell of great age. Beside this, even if it were possible to produce
such a condition in a recently carved shell, there existed no motive for
such an attempt. Nothing was to be made by it; no benefit could accrue
to the perpetrator to reward him for his pains, and, further, there was
no precedent, there was extant nothing that could serve as a model for
such a work.
In Plate LXXV I have arranged a number of figures for convenience of
comparison, Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 6, being outlines of the four examples
just described. In regard to the restored part of the outline in Fig. 1,
I wish to say that my only object in filling out the figure on the right
was to secure as far as possible the full effect of the complete
original. Observing that all that remains of the right hand figure--the
arm, the body, the leg and foot, is a duplicate of the left, it is safe
to conclude that the design has been approximately bi-symmetrical,
slight discrepancies probably occurring in the details of head and arm,
in the expression of face, or in the character of the weapon. It is much
to be regretted that the faces are totally destroyed.
In Fig. 2 I present a group of two figures from the so-called
"sacrificial stone" found in the Plaza Mayor, city of Mexico. It seems
to represent the submission of one warrior or ruler to his victorious
opponent, and is one of many designs that might be presented to
illustrate the analogies of the Tennessee relic with the interesting
works of the far South. There is what might be called a family
resemblance, a similarity in idea and action, but little analogy of
detail. The northern work is by far the more spirited, and is apparently
superior in all the essentials of artistic excellence.
[Illustration: PL. LXXV--THE HUMAN FIGURE.
1. Shell gorget, McMahan Mound, Tenn.
2. Sculptured in stone, Mexico.
3. Shell gorget, mound, Missouri.
4. Figure from an Aztec painting.
5. Shell gorget, McMahan Mound, Tenn.
6. Shell gorget, Lick Creek Mound, Tenn.]
In the composite character of the personages represented this picture
finds no parallel. Composite figures are of frequent occurrence in
Peruvian art, as in the running figures sculptured on the great monolith
at Tiahuanuco, or the mythical combats of the gods of the earth and sea
painted on the pottery of Chimu. They are also found in the manuscripts
of the ancient Mexicans, as well as in the paintings of the modern
Pueblos of New Mexico (Fig. 1, Plate LXXVI), and in the totemic art of
the Haidahs (Fig. 2, Plate LXXVI). The most frequent combinations are of
birds with men, the inspiration of the work in all cases being derived
from the mythology of the people. The wearing of masks has doubtless
given rise to many such conceptions, and where the head alone of the
human creature has undergone metamorphosis, we may suspect that a mask
has originated the conception; but the Tennessee example appears to be
the only one in which wings are added independently of the arms or in
which bird's feet are attached to the otherwise perfect human creature.
[Illustration: PL. LXXVI--COMPOSITE FIGURES.
1. Design on Zuñi war-shield, painting.
2. Thunder-bird of the Haidahs, painting.]
And now we come to the question of the origin of these objects, and
especially of the example most closely resembling Mexican work. The
Missouri gorget is in many respects quite isolated from known works of
the Mississippi Valley. Must it be regarded as an exotic, as an
importation from the South, or does it belong to the soil from which it
was exhumed? In order to answer this question we must not only determine
its relations to the art of Mexico, but we must know just what
affinities it has to the art of the mound-builders.
In the first place, gorgets of shell are a marked characteristic of the
personal embellishment of the northern peoples. They may have been in
use among the Aztecs, but do not appear among southern antiquities, and
no evidence can be derived from history. This gorget belongs, in its
general character as an ornament, to the North. It is circular in form,
it has two small perforations near the margin for suspension, and is
made from the wall of a large univalve. The design occupies the central
portion of the convex side of the disk and is inclosed by a number of
incised lines. In all of these features, together with its technical
execution and its manner of inhumation, it is identical with the
well-known work of the mound-builders. These analogies could hardly
occur if it were an exotic. It is true, however, as we have already
seen, that the design itself has a closer affinity to Mexican art than
to that of the North. It represents a sacrificial scene, and has many
parallels in the paintings and sculpture of the South, whereas no such
design is known in the art of any nation north of Mexico.
The engravings of the mound-builders represent legendary creatures
derived from the myths of the fathers, and in this respect have their
parallels in the bird-man of the Haidahs, the war-god of the Zuñis, and
the mythical deities of other countries; but they are never illustrative
of the customs or ceremonies of the peoples themselves. As an ornament
this Missouri gorget is a member of a great family that is peculiarly
northern, but the design engraved upon it affiliates with the art of
Mexico, and so close and striking are the resemblances, that accident
cannot account for them, and we are forced to the conclusion that it
must be the offspring of the same beliefs and customs and the same
culture as the art of Mexico.
[Illustration: PL. LXXVII--FROGS, ARIZONA.
Carved from _pectunculus_ shells. (1/1)]