copper plates: Mississippian mound builder art

[swamp monkey]

The Mound building culture left us a legacy here in North America.  Agriculture, bow making, pottery, and much more.  One of the hallmarks of their culture was use of copper for adornment and for art.  They obtained copper nuggets found around the Great Lakes area and apparently traded for it all across the eastern half of the continent.  They pounded the copper nuggets out into a sheet and then used wooden and bone rubbing tools to press out patterns in the copper. 

I used tools made of Osage orange and possum haw.  Both make beautiful tools.  I had some deer leather scrap I used as the soft surface for the burnishing and got to work.   I have no access to copper nuggets so I obtained some copper sheeting form my local hobby store.  The results are pictured below.  The sucker fish is a replica of a Hopewell era item found in Ohio.  The bird man plaque is a replica of a Mississippian era item found near Malden, Missouri. 

[FlintWalker]

I often hear people say that native man didn't use copper knapping tools...If those people were advanced enough to make things like that, then I suppose they may have used copper for knapping tools also.
 

[swamp monkey]

the original Hopewell sucker fish.   I suppose it could have been a buffalo fish. 

[JackCrafty]

Very cool!

I  also belive that copper was probably used for flintknapping... but reserved for the very best work.  Some of those cahokia points are almost impossible to duplicate without metal tools.

[M-P]

Beautiful work!   Both yours and the original    Ron

[hawkshaman]

Those are fantastic! I love the moundbuilder style.

John

[okiecountryboy]

Hey Swamp
That is some kind of talent you got there. The mound builder culture sometimes make you wonder how advanced we think we are....
JMO.

Beautiful work!

Ron

[konkapot]

Sweet pieces man....I admire the various moundbuilder cultures myself....More Americans should know about them...change their view of Native folks as simple savages----John, Northampton,MA

[swamp monkey]

i saw this artifact in Chicago's Field Museum recently and it is truly a work of art.  It was a bit thicker than I expected too.  Beautiful.  So I had to make a replica.  It was either a necklace or a headdress piece. 

[swamp monkey]

Here are a couple of new plates.  The two headed falcon plate is a replica of one unearthed in Dunklin County, Missouri.  The other one, the two fighting falcons, is a replica copper plate based on one found in Etowah GA.   

The first plate was badly damaged so some parts of the replica are interpretation based on other copper plates found at other Mississippian period sites. 

[swamp monkey]

This one is a plate that i did with liberties.  First, I reversed the head direction form the original.  But I really left the paved road when I put different inks on it.  Call it artistic expression.

The original plate and inspiration for this was unearthed in Peoria, IL.  To my knowledge, none of the copper plates that have been recovered anywhere in the U.S. have signs of paint of any kind on them.  I am not saying they couldn't or didn't, I'm just saying there is no evidence. 

That doesn't keep me for doing it though.   

thanks for looking. 

[Ranasp]

Even if there's no evidence of paint on the copper artifacts, you stayed true to the feel of it!  That looks fantastic.

[neuse]

That is some serious talent Swamp.
Good job.

[bowtarist]

Good stuff!! The bird motifs are like the painting we did at the spirit station at twin oaks last May at the classic. Again, good stuff swamp monkey!! dpg

[swamp monkey]

Thanks for the kind words.  Much appreciated.  Thanks for looking.