Pop-eyed Birdstone

Pop-eyed Birdstone

Pop-eyed Birdstone

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Introduction

The ancestor is a pop-eyed birdstone in a red-brown colour with sets of diagonal green bands wrapping around its eyes and body. This ancestor has a broad circular base and a slightly curved backside. Its beak was broken and slightly reshaped. What is most notable is the two large protruding eyes on either side of its head, which are rounded with a pointed end. On the bottom of this ancestor are two raised slants with perforations. From the side, they appear to resemble feet and allow the ancestor to stand. Its edges are smooth, and there are a few scratches on its body, mostly on the tail and back. Currently, this ancestor 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

It is difficult to know the cultural origin of this ancestor due to its age, the unknown context of its collection, and the fact that birdstones have been found throughout the American northeast. It may have travelled long distances.

Place of Origin: Ontario, CAN
Date Made or Date Range: Ca. 2900-2400 BP
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Information from this entry comes from the ROM's catalogue alongside Dr. Tiziana Gallo's research on Birdstones.

Materials

Ground stone, silicified mudstone

Other Notes

Weight: 60g

Dimensions: 69 × 32 × 31 mm
Condition: This ancestor is in good condition
Current Location: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: NS125
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://collections.rom.on.ca/objects/43697/birdstone-popeyed?ctx=24e8c705-d077-4346-bc6f-e433e4fa187d&idx=0.
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: M. Hodgin
Collection Narratives and Histories

M. Hodgin, September 30, 1895

Sources to Learn More

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

GKS Reference Number: 59142
How to Cite this Item

Unknown Maker. Pop-eyed Birdstone" GRASAC ID 59142, currently located in the Royal Ontario Museum, catalogue number NS38470

Record Creation Context

This record was created by Natasha Fares and Kara Annett on March 25th, 2023, and Augmented by Natasha Fares in January 2024. Information from this entry comes from the ROM's catalogue alongside Dr. Tiziana Gallo's research on Birdstones.

Approximate Place of Origin

42.98339, -81.23304

Source of Information about Places

Royal Ontario Museum records

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