IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
ARTIFACTS AS ART WHAT IS AN EFFIGY POT? COMPARISON AND CONTRAST THE SPIRO MOUND GROUP THE BLUFF SHELTERS A CARNEGIE GRANT & COB CAVE OTHER BLUFF SHELTER SITES SALVAGE ARCHEOLOGY ARTIFACTS FROM OTHER SITES
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TL2006.003.105
Description: ceremonial Bauxite polished pipe. This is the piece from Spiro once popularly known as “Big Boy.” The object is a male figure, naked except for a fur/feather cloak on back and four strings of beads around the neck. He wears a flat round cap set forward on the head. The cap is a flat tablet with rolled round brim and containing a copper plate. There are two maskette ear-ornaments. The hair is in a knot at the back of the head. There is a strap from the hat on both sides of the head which winds around the top knot. There are five vertical collar rolls at the nape of the neck. A rope necklace drops from the nape of the neck. There are two pipe orifices on the back, on which is blackened. The top pipe orifice begins approximately 2 cm from the nape of the neck bands. The figure has a cloak of 28 feathers or animal skins on the back. Hands rest on the knees with legs crossed. The genital area and feet area are marred and irregular on the surface. Right arm surface cracked just below the elbow. There are surface scratches on the thigh and calf of the right leg, on the thigh of the left leg, the right and left upper arms, and lower arms. A long thick plait of hair extends from the cap in a roll to tie at the top of a smooth section at the bottom. The left eye is smaller than the right. Ochre was rubbed on the cloak area and a black substance is evident in strands around the neck above the pipe orifice. Distinct wear marks are present on the front of the knees, nose, and hat brim. University Museum Collections, University of Arkansas In the Eye of the Beholder
Both in the past and today, the objects that Dellinger worked hard to save from pothunters and out-of-state museums hold different meanings for everyone. Are the objects sacred or secular? Is an effigy (image of a person or an animal) an idol to the gods or a vessel to carry water? Are they artifacts or art? Should such objects be stored away for research and study or displayed for people to appreciate? These objects are a significant link to human existence long ago and will help educate future generations, but how might that best be accomplished?
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