Images

Introduction

This ancestor has a ridged back, a broken beak, and a broad, circular and convex base with two perforated protruding feet. It has two projecting globular eyes but the left one is broken. This birdstone is beige with medium grey laminations. Following the break of this birdstone’s tail and rear perforation, the fracture was smoothed and notches were added on both sides to facilitate its attachment. Large scars are present on its very smooth base. 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

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 from 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 indicate the birdstone was found in Middlesex County, Ontario.

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