This ancestor has a broad body, rounded head and tail. The tail is raised and slightly narrower than the rest of the birdstone’s body, with a hole carved in the middle of the tail. The head features protruding eyes on each side. Displaying a green-brown colour with dark grey marbling, the ancestor’s body has a rounded hump on its middle back. There is no apparent wear on the birdstone other than scratches on the right eye and near the tail hole. The location of the hole on the tail suggests this ancestor could have been worn as a pendant. Currently, this birdstone resides at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

The term birdstone is a legacy of earlier archaeological work and does not consider the full variety in shape and functionality these relatives may have had within Indigenous communities. We invite Great Lakes nations to help us improve our understanding of how to identify and name these relatives. Birdstones have been found and collected from various contexts including hearths inside houses, in fields, and burial contexts. To the best of our knowledge, none of the birdstones in GRASAC’s Knowledge Sharing Platform come from burial contexts.

This ancestor was uncovered in what is now the Westminster Township in Ontario. It is difficult to know the cultural origin of this ancestor as the maker could have travelled long distances, making the stone’s source unknown. 

As provided by Dr. Tiziana Gallo, Rebanks Fellow, Ontario Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum.

Information provided by by Dr. Tiziana Gallo, Rebanks Fellow, Ontario Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum.

This ancestor was uncovered in what is now the Westminster Township in Ontario.