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Shell Symbolism in Pre-Columbian North America

  • January 2008
DOI:10.2307/j.ctvh1dwt0.8
  • In book: Early Human Impact on Megamolluscs (pp.231-236)
  • Publisher: Britrish Archeological Reports S1865, Oxford.
  • Editors: Andrzej Antczak and Roberto Cipriani
Authors:
Cheryl Claassen at Appalachian State University
Cheryl Claassen
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Abstract and Figures

The fundamental question for shell ornaments in North America is why use marine shell? Shell has birth, rejuvenation, impregnation and adoption symbolism, all related to birth and beginnings. The impact of the use of various bivalve and gastropod species on their respective populations was negligible. In this paper I will address the most fundamental of questions: why people of North America wanted and valued shells? Secondarily, why did people of the interior use freshwater and marine shells differently? Did these ritual and symbolic uses of shells negatively impact the molluscan species? Mesoamerican and US native beliefs give us some clues to the first question. Figure 1. Model of the 2000 year old Temple of Quetzalcoatl showing the large gastropod and smaller bivalve associated with the emergence of the Feathered Serpent. In the Beginning there was the Sea 1 There are two significant differences between shells from freshwater and salt water. Most of the marine species selected for modification are easier to cut, grind, and polish than is naiad shell. The most important difference 1 Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608, USA (claassencp@appstate.edu) between them is that the marine shells come from the sea, recognized by many groups as the substrate upon which the island of earth floats, as the edge of this world, as the night home of the sun, as a world entirely opposite to this one. The watery primordial world of the sea was found at the beginning of time and again through four epochs as the deities destroyed their creation and then created anew. To go to the sea is to face the underworld, the beginning
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Shell Symbolism in Pre-Columbian North America
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CHERYL CLAASSEN
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Abstract
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236
The Impact of Human Collection for Symbolic Use on
Molluscan Populations
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References cited
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and Distribution of Mollusca in the Maya Lowlands?!
C/((,$! 3*$1/4)'! N$.$)14#! @'.+/+&+$! ^&9,/4)+/0'! \W?!
"&,)'$!D'/<$1./+6!^1$..:!2$5!d1,$)'.?!
!
_1)/':!b?!)'(!^?!^#/,,/=.!TUUV!Shell Gorgets: Styles of the
Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric Southeast?! ^$)90(6!
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D'/<$1./+6!^1$..:!F)*91/(>$?!
!
F$4/:! P?! TUXU! "1)4/'>! Z)*=&*i.! d1/>/'.A! 8#$,,! _$)(!
M</($'4$! %10*! 314#)$0,0>/4),!8/+$.!/'!Z$.+$1'!)'(!
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^1$..:!D19)')?!!
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L)*$,,:! R?! TUX\! "1)(/'>! /'! C$+)=#01.A! "#$! C)>/4! 0%!
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"#0*=.0':! M?! TUVH! Maya Hieroglyphic Writing: An
Introduction?!D'/<$1./+6!0%!d[,)#0*)!^1$..:!201*)'?!
... Changes in this model over the past 20 years include the recognition that (1) shell shing began much earlier than 5,000 years ago, and (2) some, if not most, of these shell structures were speci cally created ritual landscapes rather than the daily discard of victuals. A subsidiary tenet of this focus is that shell in and of itself was (and is) "symbolically potent" (Claassen 2008; Sanger 2015, 489). ...
... Traditionally, SMA sites have been considered the aggregated discard of villages (Claassen 2010, 1), seasonal encampments (Milner and Je ries 1998, 130), or base camps of "small groups of late Middle to Late Archaic hunter-gatherers" (Milner and Je eries 1998, 119). As noted, Claassen (1991Claassen ( , 1992Claassen ( , 2008Claassen ( , 2010 has challenged this interpretation, arguing instead that the mounds were special-purpose sites. Their function was world renewal, achieved, at least in part, through mortuary rituals in conjunction with "feasting with shell." ...
Archaic Shell Mounds in the American Southeast
Article
  • Jan 2017
This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online. For more information, please read the site FAQs.
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... Among the archaeological indicators of cultural mobility, mollusks occupy a prominent place within a symbolic space (Claassen, 2011;Trubitt 2003). The presence of marine mollusks in the central region of Argentina makes them elements of interest in terms of networks and exchanges (Gordillo 2021a). ...
A Human Body, a Necklace, a Pestle, and a Stone Axe: An Osteobiographical Perspective of a 4,000-Year-Old Burial in Calamuchita Valley (Córdoba, Argentina)
Article
We report the results of bioarchaeological, genetic, malacological, and lithic analyses of a burial located in the Calamuchita Valley in the province of Córdoba in central Argentina. We discuss these findings from an osteobiographical perspective that considers the physical body from three spheres of analysis: biological, social, and political. The skeletal remains correspond to an adult male who died 3770 ± 90 ¹⁴ C years BP (4404–3850 cal BP). His mitochondrial lineage A2 +16192-16248 could have originated in central Argentina; this lineage subsequently became extinct in modern populations. In association with the human bones, there were two lithic tools, ornamental shells, and a stone pendant arranged as a necklace. This type of context is infrequently found in the region and the period studied. Thus, this burial represents a rare and relevant record for regional and South American archaeology, providing the oldest direct evidence of a burial with grave goods in hunter-gatherer societies of the province of Córdoba, central region of Argentina.
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... Respecto a las razones del valor de este tipo de objetos en distintos ámbitos culturales, tiene diferentes connotaciones. Al caracol, por la espiral y su origen marino, se lo ha vinculado con la temporalidad y la regeneración, la ciclicidad y el retorno, la permanencia a través del cambio, y se le atribuye además propiedades protectoras (Claassen 2011;Izquierdo Díaz y Hernández Ramírez 2017;Trubitt 2003). Otro valor, menos explorado, podría vincularse a la capacidad sonora por entrechoque (a modo de sonajas, p.ej., Pastor et al. 2017), pudiendo emitir sonidos mímicos (p.ej., agua que corre, agua de lluvia, serpiente cascabel). ...
CARACOLES MARINOS EN CONTEXTOS ARQUEOLÓGICOS EN EL CENTRO DE ARGENTINA (32° LS - 64° LO): MATERIALIDADES SIMBÓLICAS EXTENDIDAS EN EL TERRITORIO
Article
  • Sep 2021
One of the areas of greatest archaeological interest is the evidence of interregional mobility and movement of goods. In the search for indicators of this cultural manifestation, the presence of allochthonous materialities in a region becomes an important research focus. In this context, and with the aim of providing malacological evidence, this work reviews and updates the existing information on the presence of marine mollusks found in archaeological contexts in the Córdoba province, central region of Argentina. In order to provide new data and verify the species identity, the malacological material that integrates the collections of different regional museums was examined, supplemented with a literature review for the region. Three species were identified in the new material: Urosalpinx haneti and Adelomelon brasiliana, from the Atlantic, and Felicioliva peruviana, from the Pacific. The analyses of the morphological characteristics and manufacturing techniques of these elements allowed their classification as artifacts. Finally, these results were contextualized and discussed, considering the provenance of raw materials and the distribution areas in relation to mobility and circulation networks.
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... Clustering among rings is probably the result of social and/or economic processes, in addition to environmental context. Shell and shell-bearing deposits have been associated with spiritual significance, political hierarchy, and social groupings (Anderson 2004;Claassen 2008;Deter-Wolf and Peres 2014;Russo 2004), and prior work has demonstrated that marine resources are not always a determining factor for the placement of shell deposits in the U.S. Southeast (Claassen 2010). Furthermore, with the recent discovery of human burials at shell-ring sites (Sanger et al. 2018), rings likely carried a "claim" to particular locations (Deter-Wolf and Peres 2014; Gamble 2017;Rodning 2009). ...
The Integration of Lidar and Legacy Datasets Provides Improved Explanations for the Spatial Patterning of Shell Rings in the American Southeast
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2020
Archaeologists have struggled to combine remotely sensed datasets with preexisting information for landscape-level analyses. In the American Southeast, for example, analyses of lidar data using automated feature extraction algorithms have led to the identification of over 40 potential new pre-European-contact Native American shell ring deposits in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Such datasets are vital for understanding settlement distributions, yet a comprehensive assessment requires remotely sensed and previously surveyed archaeological data. Here, we use legacy data and airborne lidar-derived information to conduct a series of point pattern analyses using spatial models that we designed to assess the factors that best explain the location of shell rings. The results reveal that ring deposit locations are highly clustered and best explained through a combination of environmental conditions such as distance to water and elevation as well as social factors.
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... Although questioned (e.g., Marquardt 2010), there is mounting evidence that these shell accumulations dated to as early as the Middle Archaic (7400-5700 BP) and found throughout the Late Archaic (5700-3500 BP) were constructed not as middens but as deliberate mound-, ridge-, arcuate-and *Received 12 October 2019; accepted 1 May 2020 †Corresponding author: email rhonda.quinn@shu.edu ring-shaped structures used for solidifying social networks, involving group aggregations such as feastings and burial ceremonies (Claassen 1992(Claassen , 2008(Claassen , 2010(Claassen , 2015Russo 1994;Saunders 1994Saunders , 2017Sassaman and Ledbetter 1996;Sassaman 2006Sassaman , 2010Randall 2011Randall , 2013Randall , 2015Randall , 2019Saunders and Russo 2011;Randall et al. 2014;Gilmore 2016;Sanger et al. 2018). Numerous shell mounds are located in the Ohio River Valley (ORV), referred to as the Shell Mound Archaic (Claassen 1996(Claassen , 2010. ...
From the Piedmont to the Coast: LA‐ICP‐MS 87Sr/86Sr evidence for short‐term, long‐distance mobility in the American Southeast
Article
  • May 2020
Mounting evidence suggests that the Archaic Southeast shell mound builders had large‐scale trade networks and engaged in social aggregations. Here incremental 87Sr/86Sr values via LA‐ICP‐MS were measured in 3rd molar enamel samples of eleven individuals interred in the Middle Archaic Harris Creek shell burial mound, St. John's River Valley (SJRV), Florida. Results revealed that SJRV residents engaged in short‐term long‐distance mobility up to the Piedmont margin and excursions into coastal areas, consistent with direct trading and social gatherings. Two individuals are interpreted as migrants from central Tennessee, suggesting a link to the Ohio River Valley shell mound builders.
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... Traditionally, SMA sites have been considered the aggregated discard of villages (Claassen 2010, 1), seasonal encampments (Milner and Jeffries 1998, 130), or base camps of "small groups of late Middle to Late Archaic hunter-gatherers" (Milner and Jefferies 1998, 119). As noted, Claassen (1991Claassen ( , 1992Claassen ( , 2008Claassen ( , 2010 has challenged this interpreta tion, arguing instead that the mounds were special-purpose sites. Their function was world renewal, achieved, at least in part, through mortuary rituals in conjunction with "feasting with shell." ...
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... Shell in general was regarded as a powerful medium by Native Americans of the contact period. The shell of lightning whelk held particular significance for mimicking the cycle of the sun in its sinistral spiral (16,17). The overwhelming majority of disk and tubular beads at sites of the Mississippian Period were fashioned from lightning whelk. ...
Rare pre-Columbian settlement on the Florida Gulf Coast revealed through high-resolution drone LiDAR
Article
  • Nov 2019
Significance An unexpected discovery made during the environmental impact surveys after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 was the remains of an ancient village on the northern Gulf Coast of Florida. Drone-mounted LiDAR reveals a complex of 37 rings of oyster shell, and archaeological testing shows that each of the households occupying the rings produced large numbers of beads from the shells of marine gastropods. Shell beads were integral to the political economy of chiefdoms in eastern North America, but archaeologists have very little knowledge about bead making at the source of the shells. The Raleigh Island village of AD 900 to 1200 is unprecedented in its architecture, its scale of bead production, and its place in regional geopolitics.
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Local freshwater shell bead production at Cluny Fortified Village (EePf-1), south-central Alberta
Article
Beads in many forms were used as decorative items on the Great Plains during the historic and prehistoric periods. Cluny Fortified Village (EePf-1) on the Northwestern Plains is a unique Late Prehistoric period site where excavations have revealed over 1,600 shell artifacts including beads, bead preforms or “blanks,” and substantial waste from shell bead production. These shell artifacts provide insight into local prehistoric bead production using two local bivalve species Lampsilis siliquoidea (fatmucket) and Lasmigona complanata (white heelsplitter). Experimental drilling on shell produced distinctive stepping and striation patterns that identify the method of drilling: either holding the drill in the hand or mounting the drill on a shaft. Most beads from the site exhibit patterns indicative of hafted drill use. In addition, the distribution of shell at the site indicates bead production areas as well as a cache of finished and unfinished beads.
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Placing the dead on the Green River: a consideration of Archaic burial on the Middle Green River of Kentucky
Article
  • Jul 2022
I suggest that all or most of the tightly flexed human burials in Middle Green River Archaic sites represent secondary interments which had been exposed for variable periods of time, a modification of general opinion. Because of this, their delayed burial in the large, impressive mortuary sites of the Middle Green River like Chiggerville, Indian Knoll, and Carlston Annis reflect potentially variable, contingent, historical acts of placement of the dead which are not transparent. These acts concern how Archaic societies symbolically constructed and maintained themselves through the actions of individuals and burial parties by preparing, transporting, and placing the remains of their dead. How we approach them reflects as well on how we reconstruct Archaic “histories” and the overall “History” of the Green River Archaic.
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Mound building and summit architecture at the Carson site, a Mississippian mound center in the southeastern United States
Article
  • Jul 2019
Significant scholarly attention has been paid to monument construction, craft production, and leadership strategies in the Mississippian world (A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1540) of the Southeastern and Midcontinental United States. As new sites are discovered and new data brought into consideration, greater consideration can be made linking the building of large earthen mounds to social and political relationships. This article presents an archaeological and ethnohistoric consideration of mound building and mound summit use at Mound D at the Carson site, located in northwest Mississippi. Data from earthen mound excavation, mound summit architecture, material culture, and optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon (accelerator mass spectrometry) dating are used to discuss the formation of the monumental landscape beginning in the early 13th century. Several postulates are offered for the interpretation of mound construction and mound summit use.
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The Archaeological Use and Distribution of Mollusca in the Maya Lowlands. Middle American Research Institute Publication 34
  • Jan 1969
  • E Andrews
  • Wyllys
  • Iv
Andrews, E. Wyllys IV 1969 The Archaeological Use and Distribution of Mollusca in the Maya Lowlands. Middle American Research Institute Publication 34. Tulane University Press, New Orleans.
Shell Gorgets: Styles of the Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric Southeast. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
  • Jan 1996
  • J Brain
  • P Phillips
Brain, J. and P. Phillips 1996 Shell Gorgets: Styles of the Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric Southeast. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Tracing Wampum's Origins: Shell Bead Evidence from Archaeological Sites in Western and Coastal New York
  • Jan 1989
  • 17-24
  • L Ceci
Ceci, L. 1989 Tracing Wampum's Origins: Shell Bead Evidence from Archaeological Sites in Western and Coastal New York. In Proceedings of the 1986 Shell Bead Conference: Selected Papers, edited by L. Ceci, pp. 17-24. Rochester Museum and Science Center Research Records No. 20
Trading in Metaphors: The Magic of Beads
  • Jan 1983
  • 5-28
  • G Hamell
Hamell, G. 1983 Trading in Metaphors: The Magic of Beads. In Proceedings of the 1982 Glass Trade Bead Conference, edited by C. Hayes, pp. 5-28. Rochester Museum and Science Center Research Records No. 16.