Native American, Southern United States, Missouri, Webster County, Eastern Woodland, Archaic period, ca. 5000 to 1000 BCE. A great example of a bannerstone preform, shaped from a lovely brick-red stone with polished faces. Two tapering wings extend from the center cross section. The cross section is slightly raised with a hand-drilled opening at one end that creates a cavity. The opposite end is slightly indented as if the maker had started to drill but did not complete the perforation, hence the preform designation. Preforms may be unfinished for many reasons; sometimes these tools are discarded when a mistake is made while knapping or a flaw is discovered in the stone matrix. Perhaps the wing broke off during the shaping of this piece. The preforms are an interesting look into the process of bannerstone creation. Size: 3.6" L x 1.5" W (9.1 cm x 3.8 cm)

Bannerstones remain an archaeological mystery. For many years, inspired by research done by a former physicist, archaeologists believed that bannerstones were used as weights to give atlatls greater power and control. Later experimental archaeology proved that this was not true - but did open the possibility that the bannerstone helped with fatigue when holding an atlatl still, while stalking skittish prey such as deer.

Provenance: private Kansas City, Missouri, USA collection; ex-John Townsend collection, formed in the 1970s and earlier

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#161926

Loss to tip of wing. Age and use commensurate surface pitting and scratches. Chips and nicks to wings. Find site label on surface.