Engraved Conch Shell
1 of 9
Object Label
The engraving on this shell from Spiro Mounds, in eastern Oklahoma (see photograph), depicts a falcon warrior wearing a beaked mask, a feathered cloak, and ear spools with a speech scroll, or vomit from ritual purging, emanating from its mouth. Falcon-themed regalia were intended to connect the human warrior to the sky realm, giving him special powers. Interior Mississippian tribes traveled to the Gulf Coast in the springtime to gather conch shells, using them as cups to hold a liquid made from the yaupon plant (Ilex vomitoria). The many shell cups with yaupon residue discovered in ceremonial centers throughout the Mississippian world reveal that this caffeinated tea was consumed during religious rituals.
Caption
Mississippian. Engraved Conch Shell, 1200–1500 C.E.. Conch shell, pigment, Falcon warrior: 10 7/16 × 7 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (26.5 × 19.1 × 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, By exchange, 60.53.1. Creative Commons-BY
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Engraved Conch Shell
Date
1200–1500 C.E.
Period
Mississippi Period
Geography
Place collected: Spiro Mound, Oklahoma, United States
Medium
Conch shell, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
Falcon warrior: 10 7/16 × 7 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (26.5 × 19.1 × 14 cm)
Credit Line
By exchange
Accession Number
60.53.1
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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Frequent Art Questions
What used to live in this shell?
That is actually a very old Conch shell. So a sea snail once lived inside of there! It was used as a ceremonial drinking cup for liquids made from the yaupon plant. It is believed that the drink made from the yaupon plant was hallucinogenic, connecting the drinker with the falcon spirit that's engraved on the shell.
Also, what are "ear spools?"Ear spools are like very large "gauged" earrings. If you look in the nearby galleries, you can see many examples in gold!Ouch!Yes, it would hurt if you got the extra large ones right away (and the most prominent pair in the next gallery are LARGE), but the people who wore ear spools, stretched their ear lobes slowly to avoid the pain.To create the sounds that each instrument makes, were the actual instruments on display used or were replicas made?
The sounds were sourced from soundtracks of similar types of instruments being played such as Dale Olsen’s Music of El Dorado and Peyote songs from the Smithsonian’s Folkways Records.How do they engrave the shell?
The conch shell would have been engraved with a hard stone, such as flint. It was possible to make sharp blades from such materials and use them to carve designs.This is a VERY unique shell as it's opening is a Left Handed Lightning Whelk opening. Nearly ALL shells in the planet are a right side opening. Just thought the original carvers definitely knew the uniqueness of this shell.
Wow! We did not know that. Thank you for sharing that knowledge and observation.We'll be able to share that info with the next visitor who asks us about it!
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