. Transactions of the Anthropological Society of Washington . de to represent the eyes; and these, sofar as I have observed, show no abrasion by a cord of suspension. The Human Figure.—I now come to a class of relics which arenew and unique, and in more than one respect are the most impor-tant objects of aboriginal art yet found within the limits of theUnited States. Of these I shall describe four which come fromthat part of the mound-building district occupied at one time bythe stone-grave peoples—three from Tennessee and one fromMissouri. Similar designs are not found on other materials, and
. Transactions of the Anthropological Society of Washington . de to represent the eyes; and these, sofar as I have observed, show no abrasion by a cord of suspension. The Human Figure.—I now come to a class of relics which arenew and unique, and in more than one respect are the most impor-tant objects of aboriginal art yet found within the limits of theUnited States. Of these I shall describe four which come fromthat part of the mound-building district occupied at one time bythe stone-grave peoples—three from Tennessee and one fromMissouri. Similar designs are not found on other materials, and,indeed, nothing at all resembling them exists, so far as I know,either in stone or in clay. If such were painted or engraved onless enduring materials they are totally destroyed. 110 TRANSACTIONS OP THE Fig. 8 represents a gorget on which is engraved a rather rudedelineation of a human figure. The design occupies the con-cave side of a large shell disk cut from ^. Busy con perversum. Nearthe upper margin are the usual holes for suspension. The engraved. Fig. 8. Shell gorget with rude human figure, from a mound at Sevierville, Tennessee. design fills the central portion of the plate, and is inclosed by twoapproximately parallel lines, between which and the edge of theshell there is an annular space three-fourths of an inch wide. Acasual observer would probably not recognize any design whatever inthe jumble of half obliterated lines that occupies the inclosed will first be noticed that a column about three-fourths of aninch in width stands erect in the center of the picture. Fromthis spring a number of lines forming serpentine arms, which givethe figure as much the appearance of an octopus crowded into acollectors alcohol jar as of a human creature. A little study willenable one, however, to recognize in the central column thehuman body, and in the tangle of lines surrounding it, the arms,legs, hands, feet, and their appendages—no line within theborder being witho
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