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Post by Jim Hart on Jul 12, 2007 23:33:27 GMT -5
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Cliff Krainik
Member
MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS LIFTED THE TOPKNOTS OF THE LONG KNIVES
Posts: 233
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Post by Cliff Krainik on Jul 13, 2007 22:04:23 GMT -5
Thank you for posting the images, Jim. Can you provide any additional information?
Cliff
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Post by Jim Hart on Jul 15, 2007 10:31:42 GMT -5
Hello Cliff, the best I can do for you is to give you the contact for the owner of the tablet, his name is Larry Mahan, he lives in Palmyra,IL and his email is mahan@royell.org
Jim
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Cliff Krainik
Member
MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS LIFTED THE TOPKNOTS OF THE LONG KNIVES
Posts: 233
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Post by Cliff Krainik on Jul 15, 2007 22:53:07 GMT -5
Hi Jim,
Thank you for the information. I will contact Mr. Mahan.
Regards -
Cliff
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Post by Larry Koschkee on Jul 17, 2007 11:26:29 GMT -5
I am hopeful Mr. Cliff Krainik can provide more details about the tablets. Perhaps there is some archaeological opinions to prove authenticity and meaning.
IMHO there are several portions of the tablet that strike me as rather odd. As a laymen, not an expert, my comments are:
1) There are no distinct tillage marks on either side of tablet. The item was said to be found in a field, therefore I am assuming a field were agriculture practices took place. Many of the larger Native American artifacts I have found or viewed in other collections have tillage marks. Examples are celts, scrapers, bifaces, pipe bowls and large spear points. Evidence of tillage marks are sometimes difficult to see with the human eye, but show up under a magnifying glass. It is clear the tablet did sustain some damage to one corner and the break is sharp and clear compared to the tablet's edges. If this damage was done by a tillage implement there should be a distinct scratch or scrape visible in the soft metal.
2) Objects and writing relief appears to be too sharp for being in the earth for very long. Lead is very soft and malleable and abrasion from soil conditions of freezing and thawing should have a smoothing effect.
3) Language is English and symbols are Native American. In the early 19th century there were few Native Americans that could speak English, however few if any that could write in the language. This would most likely rule out a Native American tablet creation. Perhaps in that time period an Indian enterpreter could write English and be aware of symbols. Several of the symbols have significant meaning in many Native American cultures and I am curious in what context they would have with "peace" or "truce" with Black Hawk. I have my opinions, which follow.
4) Life and Choice labryinth or maze is found on the upper left- hand size of the tablet. This symbol should be familiar to many modern day people as it is used extensively in commercial and non-commercial jewelry. In fact I have an antique silver belt buckle handcrafted by the Zuni that has the "Man-in-the-Maze" symbol, which is a Southwest variation of the Life and Choice labryinth. Some experts say the words maze and labryinth are interchangeable when analyzing N A symbols. I disagree. A labryinth style does not have any dead ends or blind alleys. It is a clear path from or to the center, which is a choice made in life to follow a path that leads to harmony with the spirits and all things.
A maze is created with a path that may have dead ends. This symbolizes the difficulty of a long hard road and choices that must be made to follow the correct path ( or Red Road).
There also meaning variations of the labryinth or maze that symbolize the circle of life, but I tend to lean towards the aforementioned examples.
5) In the upper right-hand side of the tablet is what appears to be a Turtle symbol which is very powerful in the N A belief system. This highly revered symbol speaks to a Earth creation story with the Turtle playing an important role as Grand-Mother or Mother Earth. In addition, the Turtle represents, strength, perservance and long life.
6) At the bottom left side of the tablet is a bow with arrow pointing to a hatchet or tomahawk. Arrow is not notched on string meaning the individual has pulled away from war (submissive). Tomahawk is raised symbolizing a dominant position, however the tomahawk has its origin in a "Thunderbird
Track," which indicates bright prospects of a renewed and meaningful relationship. This is corroborated by the statement at bottom of tablet. - "Friends Fourever"
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