I have visited the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The purpose of my visit was to find a fetish and discuss the belief and practices that was associated with it. I have picked the bird stone fetish.
The Bird stone is an effigy in the form of a bird. It has a long and slender body and at each end is a basal hole. The effigy is from porphyry granite and ground stone (Moorehead, 1917). The bird’s stones are found in large villages mostly in the upper parts of the Midwest stretching to Canada (Moorehead, 1917). This specific bird stone is from Eaton County, MI. The stone carvings of the effigy are particularly in graves and altar mounds. The effigy of theses bird stones look like birds but can also take the form of other animals such as turtle, or lizard (Moorehead, 1917). …show more content…
An observation says that we would never find two bird stones that are exactly the same, even if they look similar we would still find a difference (Koup). It has been believed that bird stones are very powerful talismans (Birdstones Of The Eastern United States). Researchers have suggested many uses for bird stones. They suggest that it was used for ceremonial or utilitarian purposes. Also, it has been believed that it can be used as spirit helpers by shamans. The mechanism implies that birds can affect the human soul or transport it. They believed it could transport souls to heaven (Birdstones Of The Eastern United States).
Other researches think that it is a symbol that was worn by married women. He said, “in olden time these ornaments were worn on the heads of Indian women, but only after marriage,” (Indian Bird Stones, 2011). Another researcher suggests that pregnant women wore it. He said, “fastened to the top of the heads of women as an indication that they are pregnant” (Indian Bird Stones,