. The Antiquarian [serial]. wearing the same, orrather, their part in a ceremonial or totemicmask. The human femur (Fig. LX.) wasfound alongside skeleton Xo. 278. It is asuperb bit of carving on highly polishcbone. The top is fluted. Putnam* says of Fig. LXIV.: * * shows the complicated designforming several heads and faces combinedwith the symbolic eye of the serpent god,which is often united with that of the sungod. This close union of the serpent and sunsymbols is a characteristic feature of theworship of this great southern group ofpeoples. Fig. LXV. shows several partsof the design separa
. The Antiquarian [serial]. wearing the same, orrather, their part in a ceremonial or totemicmask. The human femur (Fig. LX.) wasfound alongside skeleton Xo. 278. It is asuperb bit of carving on highly polishcbone. The top is fluted. Putnam* says of Fig. LXIV.: * * shows the complicated designforming several heads and faces combinedwith the symbolic eye of the serpent god,which is often united with that of the sungod. This close union of the serpent and sunsymbols is a characteristic feature of theworship of this great southern group ofpeoples. Fig. LXV. shows several partsof the design separated from the other por-tions. In this connection, the head dressesfound with skeletons in the same moundare of special interest, as we here see theactual use of head-dresses of a similarcharacter to those shown in the compli-cated design carved on the human bone. Why these head ornaments, masks orheraldic figures should take the form ofantlers (almost invariably) it is difficult tounderstand, unless we assume that the per-. *Symbolism in Ancient American S. Springfield Meeting, 1895. A. A. 4V Pitt. XLVIII—Obsidian Spear Head. ^ size. sons buried were of the deer clan, and, con-sequently, used that totem. We must also-note that Fig. XLI., showing half anantler, is the only portion of antler head-dress found in an altar. All the altar de-bris was carefully sifted and examined, butno fragments of antlers, other than thoseput together in Fig. XLI., were found. We have, then, skeletons 248, 2(>1 and2G2, which had such head-dresses, andskeleton 278 with such a design (in combi-nation cosmic symbols) engraved upon hu-man bones. All of them tell us much. InFig. XXII. we have the full-grown Fig. XXXIX. the growing horns of theyoung buck. In the separate design onFig. LXV., the crescent immediatelyover the forehead, typifies the timidcreature. Professor F. H. dishing in hisexplorations among the Florida Keys, hasthrown much light upon the symbols anil THE ANTIQUARIAN.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubj, booksubjectarchaeology
