Native American, Midwestern United States, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Archaic Period, ca. 5000 to 1000 BCE. A well-preserved gray and black banded slate bannerstone, perhaps used as a tool for hunting. The stone has been carved to an elongated shape with rounded, blade like tips, and a perforation drilled through the center. This perforation allowed the bannerstone to be attached onto a circular piece of wood that formed part of an atlatl. It is thought that the weight gave the atlatl greater power and control. Bannerstones probably had ritualistic or symbolic power as well as functional since great care was taken in shaping and polishing this stone. Size: 4.8" L x .75" W x 1.5" H (12.2 cm x 1.9 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 up the possibility that the bannerstone helped with fatigue when holding an atlatl still, while stalking skittish prey like deer. However, their elaborate designs, and some examples that are too large to have ever been useful, suggest that they also had a ritualistic purpose.

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

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#162013

Find site and collection name written on both sides. Scratches and surface wear. Chips and losses especially on corners and peripheries. Smooth surface.