Abundant Gifts of Stone and Bone

An abundance of points, flakes, bones, shells, and bodies is considered sufficient to raise the hypothesis that these offerings and their places constitute a type of fertility shrine. This paper documents several possible lithic and bone-offering places in eastern North America, among them Allumette...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Midcontinental journal of archaeology 2016-09, Vol.41 (3), p.274-294
Main Author: Claassen, Cheryl
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bone soul
hunting rite
Indian knoll
offerings
shrine
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Summary:An abundance of points, flakes, bones, shells, and bodies is considered sufficient to raise the hypothesis that these offerings and their places constitute a type of fertility shrine. This paper documents several possible lithic and bone-offering places in eastern North America, among them Allumettes Island, Quebec; Tick Creek Cave, Missouri; James Creek, West Virginia; and Pen Point, South Carolina. Perhaps the most significant Late Archaic shrine marked by an abundance of points, deer bones, and human burials is Indian Knoll, Kentucky. The proposed fertility or increase rite practiced was that for a hunt god.
ISSN:0146-1109
2327-4271
DOI:10.1080/01461109.2016.1222476