Birdstones | Wisconsin Historical Society

General Information

Birdstones

There have been many theories about the function of bird stones, but none seems to have gained wide acceptance and the debate continues.

Birdstones | Wisconsin Historical Society

Birdstones are pre-contact abstract stone carvings that seem to our 21st Century eyes to represent birds. The majority appear to have been made between 5000 and 2500 years ago. They are generally three to four inches long and less than two inches tall. Some have been found that are over seven inches in length, however. 

The carver probably started by chipping away pieces of the stone stopping when a rough blank was achieved. Then using sandstone and sand the carver laboriously ground and polished the birdstone to a high luster. A distinctive feature of all bird stones is a pair of conical holes running diagonally through the base. Drilling this hole required great skill and a solid knowledge of how to use a bow-drill.

Bird stones like those pictured on the 2019 Wisconsin Archaeology Month bookmark have usually been found in plowed fields or eroding from banks along streams, rivers, and lakes. A frequently cited theory is that bird stones were used as a weight on a dart, spear-thrower, or atlatl. These short wooden rods, or slats, were used as launchers for small spears. They extended the thrower's arm allowing them to throw the spear with more force.

Another theory is that they were attached to flutes. Were the flutes and the atlatl linked by some deeper symbolic meaning? Perhaps, they were worn on the body or attached to clothing. In the end, it seems clear birdstones had special meaning. Additional analysis of manufacturing techniques, use-wear patterns, or the context of their recovery may some day shed light on these unusual objects.  

Most bird stones have been found in New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, but some have been discovered in Georgia, Mississippi, and South Dakota.

The birdstones pictured on the bookmark are from the James R. Beer Collection. More detailed descriptions of each object can be found in:

Beer, James R. Beer

2003  Ozaukee County Birdstone Stays Home In Wisconsin. Central State Archaeological Journal 50(1):39.

2012  The Birdstone Collection of James R. Beer. The Wisconsin Archeologist 93(2):108-111.

2014  A Black Porphyry Birdstone from Winnebago County, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Archeologist 95(1):4.

2015  Two Elongated Slate Wisconsin Birdstones. The Wisconsin Archeologist 96(1):73-77.

And for a general discussion see:

Allen, G. (1936). The Significance of the So-Called Bird-Stone. American Antiquity, 1(3), 224-226. doi:10.2307/275148

Townsend, E.

1959  Birdstones of the North American Indians: A Study of These Most Interesting Stone Forms, the Area of Their Distribution, Their Cultural Provenience, Possible Uses, and Antiquity. Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina.

1965  Fraudulent Birdstones. Central States Archaeological Journal, 12(1), 25-29. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43137692

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