#Hohokam artifacts series#

Of the bracelets, one stands out for being the largest, consisting of a thick band and representing about half of the original bracelet (2005-498-60 Vokes 2006: 4.6).В The bracelet is plain, and undecorated, with the exception of a series of incised notches along the underneath edge. The bracelets are the most common shell artifact finds from this site, and of most shell assemblages. While it cannot be clearly determined if this is a representation of a specific individual, or a more abstract conceptualization of a rank, the Shellman stands out as a remarkable specimen and a testament to the people of the past. The combination of possible cultural use of the staff, the symbolic holding of the staff, and the animal imagery all lends itself to suggesting this is a depiction of an individual of authority or potentially as a symbol of the role itself. The knobbed top appears to be a bird head in profile, with a curved beak reminiscent of raptorial birds. The staff itself is not used as a crutch, appearing to be held more symbolically than for a purpose. The staff has notches that are believed to represent carvings in the staff, which could mirror that of calendar sticks used to track important chronological events. The ones that do exist are typically posed frontal, while the Shellman is in profile and wielding a staff, often associated with authority. While anthropomorphic depictions are well known, especially in ceramics, and shell is certainly a common find, the appearance of human imagery in shell is rather rare.

The pendant itself is of great significance. A single perforation at the top has wear suggesting the pendant was worn, most likely by an individual of significance. The surface is pearlescent, reflecting bright blues, greens, and pinks along its surface. The shell is certainly a marvelous artifact, large and well-preserved. The pendant is cut from an abalone shell and depicts a man with a staff. The most recognizable artifact from this site, by far, is the Shellman pendant (2005-498-3 Vokes 2006: 4.4)). Shown below are some of my favorite artifacts from this collection, as well a bit about the site and the importance of these objects. In particular, I was interested in knowing more about the stone effigy vessel, ceramic figurines, and the shell assemblage, best known for the Shellman pendant. This collection had a wide variety of material, and many objects that captured my attention. In this post, I will focus on AZ EE:1:317 (ASM), known as the Shellman site. Over the course of this project, multiple archaeological sites were excavated. I eventually decided on the Quail Creek Data Recovery project (ASM Accession 2005-498), excavated by WestLand Resources, Inc., an Arizona-based Cultural Resources Management company (see Cook 2006). Considering I would be spending the next semester on completing the catalog process of a particular collection, I wanted a collection that interested me but also was mostly incomplete, in order to get the most experience out of my time here as possible.

The meaning of вЂIn ProgressвЂ™ varied from collection to collection, with the processing of some nearly complete and others barely started. The collections I had worked with during my first couple of months were considered вЂIn Progress,вЂ™ meaning that in some way the cataloging process had been started. So, when I decided I was coming back for another semester, and I was given the opportunity to choose a collection to focus on, I was faced with more options than I would have liked. During the approximate three months I worked on the backlog inventory, I assessed 2064 objects across 12 collections which included a wide variety from large heavy manos to delicately carved shell pieces and charming ceramic vessels. And while I certainly had fun, getting credits for snooping through dozens of trays of artifacts, there were certainly some challenging moments and learning a new skill set is never easy. While my fellow intern and I constantly joked about the вЂrock traysвЂ™ which held the ground stone objects, including manos and axe heads, every new tray I pulled held new mysteries. It really felt like adventuring through all the hidden gems of the ASM, all the things not fully processed and not displayed to the public through the museum. Looking through so many various collections I got to see and learn about many different objects and types. This meant going through many collections in storage at the repository in order to establish a database location and statuses for the in-process collections. My first semester at the repository consisted of assisting with the backlog of collections.

Hohokam artifacts