Iroquoian Pottery with Faces

(note: you may click any of these pictures on this posting and enlarge them)

In February 2009, I did a presentation on a site called the Murray Garden. This site was discovered in 1882 when workmen were digging a drainage ditch from the then home of the would be founder of the Tioga Point Museum in Athens, PA, Louise Welles Murray and her husband, Millard. Many facets of this site are quite interesting, but I wanted to concentrate on the pottery with faces on them for this posting. One of the pots (recovered in pieces) is shown above.

There was one pot that was 4 1/2 inches high that was recovered from the Murray site. Here is a picture of that one:These pieces were written up by Christopher Wren in 1914 where he said the following:

He also pointed out that the one face on the pot was actually made to look pushed or deformed and added that there was an Iroquoian legend that he had been told might actually have explained why the face looked the way it did...

(click the image to enlarge to read story)

I have been told that this is also the legend of the "false face," but will leave that up to the reader to decide.

As I studied this site, I also tried to see what other Iroquioan and Susquehannock (who were Iroquoian but bitter enemies of the Iroquois) pottery had faces...this is what I found:

#1.)

In fact, as I was just reading my latest issue of "American Archaeology" by the Archaeological Conservancy, I learned that pottery with the same designs were found at America's first French colony, Fort Charlesbourg-Royal (founded by Cartier and Roberval, 1541) in what is now Quebec City.

2.)
This full body design along with the face in this pottery is coincidentally much like another piece found at well known site in PA - known as the Washington Boro site:


Come to find out, the Washington Boro site was reported by Cadzow(below) in 1936 to have faces on every vessel:
The Washington Boro site was dated by Dr. Barry Kent in his book "Susquehanna's Indians" at 1600 - 1625 AD. Here is some of those pots from this site that were described above:

Strange as it seems, Kent dates the Athens (Murray Garden) site at 1570 - 1600.

This difference in dating occurred even though both are shell tempered and both were found with European trade goods....and even though the face effigies on Susquehannock pottery reportedly only occurred between 1600 - 1625 AD...



This following copper/brass spiral is a European trade item and was found alongside the faced pottery in Athens, PA and reported by Harrison Wright of the Wyoming Hostorical Society in 1883. These spiral pieces were made by breaking up European pots and reworking the material into these shapes.

(spiral artifact found by Harrison Wright
in 1883 at the Murray Garden site.)

Using the information here, that is that faces on Susquehannock pottery only occured between 1600 and 1625, let alone the European trade materials associated with them, I date the Murray Garden site (even though I am not a professional) at 1600-1625. It is my hope that someday soon we will have an official date with more scientific research backing it up. But this will take preserving the artifacts that we have. As you know - SRAC is dedicated to this cause.

As I am writing this, there is a Susquehannock pot with faces on it out there on Ebay which claims to be from the Washington Boro site discussed above. As you know from my last post, I am so opposed to the commercialization of this scientific evidence and am opposed to the sale of these items, as is the Society of American Archaeology. This is what prompted me to write that post because I saw this pot and recognized it from my research on the Murray site.

This is the description for the pot - and - it just was sold about an hour ago...for $1,035.

"EXCEPTIONAL IROQUOIS SUSQUEHANNOCK POTTERY VESSEL MINIATURE OR CHILD'S SIZE. 4 1/4 INCH HEIGHT,3 3/4 INCH RIM WIDTH.RIM INCISED WITH TWO CASTELLATIONS AND WITH TWO HUMAN EFFIGIES WITH OPEN KNEES,INCISED HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DECORATED COLLAR.FOUND IN WASHINGTONBORO,LANCASTER COUNTY,PENNSYLVANIA.PERFECT UNRESTORED CONDITION.PICTURED IN INDIAN ARTIFACT MAGAZINE VOL 9-2 FRONT COVER.EX COLLECTION OF FENSTERMACHER,FOGELMAN,JOHNSTON.GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC.YOUR SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED.7-DAY RETURN FOR ANY REASON.Priority Shipping and insurance is 15.00 within USA for this item.I accept Pay Pal.Thank you for your bids."

I hope that after this post today you can understand what I was trying to say in my last post a little better. Taking artifacts (EVIDENCE) from sites and selling them is a detriment to archaeological study and just the wrong thing to do.

Tell me your thoughts.