Pop-eyed Birdstone

Pop-eyed Birdstone

Pop-eyed Birdstone

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Introduction

This ancestor, often called a birdstone by archaeologists, resembles a seal (?), with a titled head, curved back, and long tail. Made of smoothed stone, this relative is a brown/pale green colour. Red speckling can be seen on its face, with traces of marbled light grey throughout. Scratches and dents are visible on this ancestor, as well as a hole under its neck. The left eye on this ancestor is concave and the right eye is nodular. 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.

Nation of Maker: Unknown
Nation of Origin

This ancestor was discovered in the township of Blenheim in Oxford County, Ontario. It is difficult to know the cultural origin of this ancestor, as the artist may have travelled long distances and the stone's source is often unknown.

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

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

Place of Origin: Ontario, CAN
Date Made or Date Range: 1500 BC-800 AD
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Tiziana Gallo & Craig N. Cipolla (07 Nov 2023): Three Little Birds: Reassembling Typological Thought, Norwegian Archaeological Review, DOI: 10.1080/00293652.2023.2261945

Materials

Meta-Rhythmite, laminated argillite

Techniques or Format

The head of this birdstone may have been broken off and reshaped, based on comparisons to other birdstones. As seen by the hollowing and residue inside the left eye, there may have been something inserted in the eye.

Dimensions: 66 × 27 × 37 mm
Condition: This ancestor is in good condition
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

As listed on the ROM's website.

Current Location: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: NS24501
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/26328/birdstone?ctx=5960cbbd-4523-4235-b459-f3046a4df2c7&idx=0
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1902
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: W.J. Wintemberg, 1902
Source for Provenance information

Royal Ontario Museum documentation

GKS Reference Number: 59136
How to Cite this Item

Maker unknown. "Pop-eyed Birdstone". GRASAC ID 59136, Located in the Royal Ontario Museum, catalogue number NS24501.

Record Creation Context

This record was created by Natasha Fares with information provided by Dr. Tiziana Gallo, Rebanks Fellow, Ontario Archaeology, Royal Ontario Museum.

Approximate Place of Origin

42.338, -81.9998

Source of Information about Places

This ancestor was discovered in the township of Blenheim in Oxford County, Ontario. 

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