Images

Introduction

This ancestor is a pop-eyed birdstone, named so because of the large stemmed eyes on the top of its head. It is a tan colour with black minerals. This birdstone has a long beak which has a broken tip. Its base is broad, circular and convex, and its tail is block-shaped. This ancestor stands on two perforated protruding feet that can be seen from the front, and under the tail. This birdstone does seem to have some wear on it, specifically with wear around and on its beak, tail, and base as well as chips on both protruding eyes. Currently, this ancestor resides at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, 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

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

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

Place of Origin: Ontario, CAN

Date Made or Date Range: Ca. 2900-2400 BP

Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

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

Source of Information about Places

Royal Ontario Museum records provide the location of Norfolk County, Ontario.

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