Tag: Middle Woodland artifacts

BLACK BEAUTY, A SNYDERS SPEAR

John Baldwin West Olive, Michigan

Rare black flint Snyders spear point from Grand Rapids, Michigan, associated with the Hopewell culture and featured in the Central States Archaeological Journal.

Northern Indiana and southern Michigan have produced a large number of the classic-shaped Snyder spear points. The Snyder point was named by Edward G. Scully for types found in Illinois on the Snyder farm where these points were excavated. The Snyder point is associated with the Middle Woodland Culture commonly referred to as Hopewell, circa 500 BC to 500 AD. The Snyder point distribution pattern is quite large and follows established Hopewellian trade routes, with major concentrations in the northern Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley, including southern Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and as far west as eastern Oklahoma.

The majority of Snyder spear points are made from white flint, probably quarried from sites in Missouri and Illinois. There are examples made from Indiana gray (Harrison County flint), and a number of Ohio Flint Ridge Snyder have been found within the Hopewell sphere of influence. A few examples have been recorded made from chalcedony, quartz and the occasional black flint point made from lithic resources in Ohio, Pennsylvania or Missouri.

Growing up in northern Indiana, I avidly collected all the gray horn-stone Snyder I could get my hands on. These spear points ranged from 2 to 6 inches in length, with the majority falling between 2½ and 4 inches in length. A collected frame of Snyder spear points is very pleasing, as these big wide spear points fill space in an aesthetic way. The old timers called them Sun Fish spears and remarked that a frame looked like wild geese flying through the sky.

The Snyder is a classic form, a true diagnostic artifact from the Hopewell culture. Many of these classic spear points have been recovered from established Hopewell mounds. Many small Hopewell mounds yielded Snyder points as their only remaining artifact. Moorehead’s famous cache of un-notched Snyder preforms, made from Indiana horn-stone found in southern Indiana, numbered in the hundreds. These un-notched Snyder points have officially been named North Points….

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A Hopewellian Marine Shell Dipper

by Charles Mike Sutton, Harrisburg, Illinois

April 2016 Central States Archaeological Journal

Hopewellian marine shell dipper made from Gulf of Mexico whelk shell, Middle Woodland ceremonial drinking vessel associated with Hopewell culture trade networks.
Hopewell Marine Shell Dipper – Middle Woodland Whelk Shell Ceremonial Cup

Rarely in today’s times do we hear of a “killer” artifact being found close to our home. Conflicting emotions churn within us, as we yearn to get a glimpse of the relic and hear firsthand the events of the discovery.

And that’s exactly what happened when I heard of a shell dipper or “drinking cup” that had been found by a logger in southeastern Illinois. While dragging logs, he mistakenly thought he had uncovered a football, somehow lost in the riverside woods. But his next pass offered a different perspective, and he stopped just before crushing it with a timber skidder. The artifact was discovered at a Hopewell site near the mouth of the Wabash River, about four miles north of Illinois Highway 141, in 1999.

The cache discovery took place on an elevated region above the Wabash floodplain known locally as the “Dog Town Hills.” Situated on these hills and their eastern flank is the well-known Wilson Group and Village Site (#77000491), listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The site represents a Hopewell mortuary and village complex of the Middle Woodland period and is attributed to the Crab Orchard Tradition (Caldwell and Hall, 1977). The Wilson group, named after Ethel R. Wilson, consists of intermediate burial mounds perched on a north–south ridge that parallels the river. The small community of Rising Sun and the 2,000-year-old village site lie comfortably nestled between the river and the mound crest.

Likely to be a rare Hopewellian artifact, the logger’s extraordinary find left me burning to get a closer look. Being from a neighboring county, it was practically found in my backyard. Who isn’t passionate about seeing a newly discovered relic, especially from a hunting ground once known to collectors? The elusive glimpse I longed for finally came during a phone call. I must say, it was a gym of perfection that looked so surreal most would have questioned its authenticity.

Two views of a Hopewellian marine shell dipper made from a whelk shell, showing interior and exterior of a Middle Woodland ceremonial drinking vessel.
Two views of a Hopewellian marine shell dipper showing the interior basin and exterior spiral of the whelk shell used to create the ceremonial vessel.

Figures 1–3. The Hopewellian Marine Dipper.
The use of whelk shell from the Gulf of Mexico was widespread in prehistoric Midwest societies. These shells sometimes traveled a thousand miles or more to be utilized in gorgets, beads, and ceremonial objects. Early observers noted these “dippers” were used in the consumption of the ceremonial “black drink,” a beverage prepared from the leaves of yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria). The drink induced vomiting and was used in purification ceremonies to remove spiritual and physical contamination. Among some Native American groups, this ritual was practiced daily.

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