What Were Bannerstones Used For

Stone weight of debated purpose associated with atlatls

Primitive period double-notched butterfly bannerstone from Ohio, ca. 2000 BC. Made of banded slate, a textile frequently used in bannerstone manufacture. Bannerstones were used in North America for some 3,000 years beginning in the fourth millennium BC.^[1]

Bannestone in utilize as a weight on a bowstring-style hand drill (re-creation) ^[2]

Bannerstone, Ferruginous quartz, 2nd millennium BC. Found in Illinois.

Bannerstones are artifacts usually found in the Eastern United States that are characterized past a centered hole in a symmetrically shaped carved or ground rock. The holes are typically ane⁄four " to 3⁄4 " in diameter and extend through a raised portion centered in the stone. They usually are bored all the style through merely some have been found with holes that extend only part of the way through. Many are fabricated from banded slate or other colored hard stone. They oftentimes accept a geometric "wing nut" or "butterfly" shape but are not limited to these. More merely functional artifacts, bannerstones are a form of fine art that appear in varying shapes, designs, and colors, symbolizing their ceremonial and spiritual importance.

Debates over function [edit]

Archaeologists accept debated over the use of bannerstones. Some have suggested that they are atlatl weights or ceremonial pieces. Others believe that they may be for drilling, cordage making, or fire making. Robert S. Berg's theory proposed that they are part of a kit of tools used to make and repair atlatl darts. Berg'southward theory has met with a lot of skepticism and resistance considering of the previous works of William S. Webb, who proposed that the bannerstone was actually part of an atlatl. Webb cited in situ evidence which consisted mainly of bannerstones plant in line with atlatl handles and hooks in graves that archaeologists dug up during the construction of the Tennessee Valley Authority's massive water control organization in the southeast during the early role of the 20th century. Information technology seems that "their primary value lay in their symbolic and artful worth rather than in their tool-like efficiency" ^[3] because of the manner in which they were created and subsequently found in archaeological sites.

The ceremonial importance of bannerstones is related to "the psychological uncertainties and physical dangers of daily life among early hunters and gatherers".^[4] These peoples appealed to the powers of the stone, their creators or deities, and the natural entities around them for protection and survival in the harsh life of the Archaic Period. Being killed in the chase is one danger that they would have been trying to protect themselves from, while giving thank you and recognizing the powers guiding their spears thrown from the atlatls would help ensure their success in the hunt. As stated in Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Fine art of the Ancient Midwest and S, "[bannerstones'] adroitness and materials suggest that they likewise served as emblems of prestige and status conferred upon hunters coming of age, and as supernatural talismans for increasing the spear-throwers efficacy. They may also have served every bit emblems of clans or other social units."^[v] This shows the bannerstone going across elementary part in the chase to complex symbolic role in diverse aspects of social club.

History and context [edit]

Bannerstones, as part of a larger picture, indicate that the societies in which they were a part had greater social organization than those in the past. They also indicate a greater interdependence among tribes of various regions. Brian Grand. Fagan states that, "the product of elaborate and labor-intensive bannerstones (atlatl weights) and stone vessels makes little sense at a local level, but when produced equally objects used in broad exchange networks tied to cooperative alliances, such artifacts take considerable value." This is because, every bit he further states, "many of the important technological innovations of the Archaic resulted from just such successful alliances which made life more secure in an unpredictable surround of patchy food resources".^[6] Therefore, bannerstones can be seen as indicators of ties between societies in the form of trade, whether it is for the stone that the bannerstone is made out of, the region where the finished bannerstone is found, or the way that it is designed. "Innovations" speak of new ideas entering already existing societies and merging with pre-existing beliefs, resulting in artifacts and art forms such as bannerstones.

Fagan also states, that "from the Mid Archaic onward, people invested more labor in fashioning socially valued artifacts and ornaments like finely footing 'bannerstones'"^[vii] to be used in the networks of trade and formation of "alliances." Bannerstones were created for more than just strict physical survival; they were created for spiritual survival and wellbeing equally a office of a cosmological system of conventionalities that both varied betwixt groups of primitive peoples and connected them in the eastern woodlands.

The Laurentian is a period of time in the Late Archaic (c. 3200 to c. grand BC) that describes the region from New England to Quebec, down into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Primitive peoples of this region and time period are one example of a group that produced polished bannerstones.^[8]

Bannerstones somewhen went out of use as new technologies were invented and spread past merchandise routes. This includes the bow and pointer which appeared around or before 500 Ad.^[9] While the bannerstones themselves went out of use, the ceremonial and spiritual importance of these objects did non, being transferred to the new objects that replaced them.

Notable finds [edit]

An important archaic site containing numerous graves containing bannerstones is at Indian Knoll, Kentucky. At this site, "few of the bannerstones show signs of utilize. They are carved of exotic imported stones with an infrequent artistry that exploits the natural colours, patterns, and striations of the stones to beget maximum visual satisfaction".^[10] This shows both the importance of long-altitude trade in connecting various archaic societies likewise as the importance they placed on the visual entreatment of the pieces. This visual appeal would be created in part to please the spirits that the individuals were attempting to persuade for help and protection in the hunt, society, and the world as a whole.^{[ citation needed ]}

Citations [edit]

^ Bannerstone at Metropolitan Museum of Art
^ Annual report (1916), New York Country Museum
^ (Berg, 1998:75)
^ (Hero, 2004: 22)
^ (2004:26)
^ (2005:379)
^ (2005:416)
^ (Fagan, 2005:406)
^ (Fagan, 2005: 133)
^ (Berlo et al., 1998:75)

References [edit]

Berlo, Janet C. and Ruth B. Phillips. Native North American Art. Oxford University Press: Oxford, England, 1998.
Fagan, Brian K. Aboriginal North America, Fourth Ed. Thames & Hudson: London, 2005.
Hero, Hawk, and Open up Hand: American Indian Art of the Aboriginal Midwest and South. Richard R. Townsend and Robert Five. Sharp, eds. Yale University Printing: New Haven and London, 2004.