QUARTZ
Algonkian
Ojibwa. meaning, ritual, use.
CHARMS
Love Charms
A charm which was believed to cause an approaching thunderstorm to recede consisted of a spherical stone. This specimen was obtained from Mrs. Razer and had been in her possession 14 years, and had been used successfully by her. The stone appears to contain bits of quartzand was admired for its "shining in the sunshine." Mrs. Razer said that "the thunder bird likes this stone as a hen likes the egg she has laid and will not hurt it." She said that if a thunderstorm threatened, the proper procedure was to put this stone, with a little tobacco, on a birch leaf, anywhere out of doors. She had used this with a "common leaf," but the birch was the proper leaf to use, as the birch tree was believed to be under the protection of the thunder bird. This charm stone measures 2 1/4 and 1 5/8 inches in its two diameters and weighs 7 ounces (Densmore 1929:113).
Another form of love (or "attraction") charm was shown to the writer by an informant. It consisted of a little dust or powder in a buckskin packet. The powder was colored vermilion and in it were little shining facets resembling quartz. The amount was about what could be lifted on the end of a penknife. The owner had paid $5 for it, and said that "when she was to meet anyone whom she wished to influence she rubbed a little on her cheeks and the person always spoke kindly to her" (Densmore 1929:108).
Athabaskan
Chipewyan. meaning, use.
How Copper was Discovered
Then, in order to make fire, she gathered dry moss together, and then went to look for quartz. She put two pieces of quartz down on the dry moss she had gathered and struck them together. The sparks from the rocks fell on the dry moss so it caught fire. Then when she had made a big fire, she roasted some meat. She ate that with her child (Li 1976:46).
Good rock is anything the Chipewyan think is of value to a prospector although the idiom is almost always gold. Their understanding of geology varies greatly, but they are keen and careful observers of their environment with an eye for the unusual. The idea is not to start a mine although they too have fantasies of wealth. Once it is decided if a specimen is good rock or not, it is almost always thrown away. They often throw away good rock that is in fact valuable ore. Paul once sent off to be assayed what he thought was gold ore, a chunk of quartz the size of his fist taken from a wide vein running from far on shore to deep into a lake. The sample contained sufficient gold to pay the assay charges and result in a small check being mailed to him. For years afterward he received letters from the assay office asking for larger samples. He told us where the vein was located and what it looked like, proud that he had correctly identified the good rock (Sharp 1988:133-134).
Caddoan
Pawnee. meaning, ritual, social category, use.
THE CAST OF STARS
Another form of the warrior's bundle consists of a wrapping like the one just described, but containing, as a rule, a single object. This object, a bit of smokey quartz or fossil shell with a lustrous color or some object of similar nature, is usually spoken of as a meteorite. Such objects are generally believed to have descended from the sky to this earth, and over them the warrior prays asking for protection and assistance (Chamberlain 1982:152).
DISPERSION OF THE GODS AND THE FIRST PEOPLE
The particular pebble referred to seems to have been a quartz crystal, which, on account of its transparency and hardness, appropriately symbolizes the contribution of Tirawa and the other gods of the heavens toward the formation of the earth (Chamberlain 1982:224).
MATERIAL CULTURE / WORK IN STONE
DISCOIDAL HAMMERSTONES.—These are nearly always of quartz or some hard crystalline rock. They are from 3 to 4 inches in diameter and 11/2 to 2 inches hick. The two faces are flat, while the edges are square with them. Many specimens are pitted in the center of each side, as though intended to be held between the thumb and forefinger for hammering with the edge. In a few cases the entire surface is slightly cupped. Sometimes the stones are somewhat elongated; in others, the edge is rounded instead of square with the faces. Discoidals are especially common at the Burkett site, where they are often much smaller than those of later date (Wedel 1936:76).
BALLS.—Stone balls are artificially shaped out of granite or quartzitic material and occur naturally as small quartz pebbles. The shaped balls are from 1 to 21/2 inches in diameter and generally are perfectly round; occasionally they are slightly flattened. They are not polished and generally show the dimpled texture of the fine secondary pecking. Their use is not known; they may have been for gaming or ceremonial purposes. In size and appearance, however, they suggest those used as heads for clubs, and it is possible that they were employed in meat pounding or in warfare, or possibly in stone boiling (Wedel 1936:77).
Natural quartz pebbles which show little evidence of retouching have also been found. They are usually whitish or pink in color, translucent, and about as large as a pigeon egg. One or two are highly polished, as though carried in a bag for a considerable time, but none were used as pecking stones. These, like the shaped balls, usually come from graves; they were probably fetishes (Wedel 1936:77).
Natural discoidals of iron pyrites, 2 inches in diameter, 1 inch thick in the center, and very heavy, have been found at the Hill and Linwood sites. They occur in pairs, with quartz crystals and other odds and ends, and were doubtless valuable talismans. Their use for fire making has not been reported from the area but may have occurred (Wedel 1936:77).
CRYSTALS.—Two small quartz crystals, each about 11/2 inches long with a yellowish, semitranslucent cast, were recovered at the Hill site. They are natural pebbles, unmodified, but have a smooth, worn appearance as though from long carrying in a pouch or cloth. They presumably represent fetishes (Wedel 1936:79).
THE SPRING AWAKENING
Heaven told the Evening Star to tell her gods to rattle and sing. As they sang, the clouds came up, then the winds blew the clouds and the lightnings and thunders entered the clouds. The thick clouds gathered over open space and into them Heaven dropped a pebble—a quartz crystal. The pebble rolled in the clouds and as the storm passed over, the whole world below was water. Now Heaven sent out the four semicardinal-direction gods, each armed with a war club of hemlock, the wood known to the Skidi as atira, my mother. As they approached their appropriate stations, they were to strike the waters which would cause them to part and expose the earth. Each of the four semicardinal-direction bundles is said to contain such a war club of hemlock that was actually used in the original creation.
THE WOMEN GET WOOD FOR THE DOCTORS
Shamans, psychotherapy, organized ceremony, visiting, hospitality
"—Quartz Crystal Sleight of Hand"…. (Weltfish 1965:290).
All the doctors except the four at the west remained in their booths. In anticipation of the forthcoming entertainment, some were calling out, "I'm going to take a quartz crystal out of that good-looking woman over there!" The women, who were apt to be shy on such occasions, were whispering among themselves instead of speaking out as the men usually did. The three big doctors at the west supplied the talk. "That one—I'm going to take a quartz crystal out of her!" "No you won't. That's the one I want." While they were eating the corn, twenty-two pieces of the cooked meat were spread out on a tent skin ready to be served, and as the women finished their corn they were served soup in their bowls. Wonderful Old Bull, representing all the head doctors, served them with the meat. Finally the dishes and pots were cleared away, the women put their bowls behind their backs, and the entertainment began (Weltfish 1965:291).
Now the two doctors set out from the west again, Big Doctor in the lead and Pipe Offering behind him. They moved very carefully inside the serpent, making sure their feet did not touch it. When they arrived in front of the women sitting along the north side, they made odd motions and Big Doctor fell over. When he came out of his daze he patted his hand on his stomach, passing it up toward his throat and the quartz crystal came out of his mouth. Then Pipe Offering did the same and the two doctors went back to their place at the west. Now the other doctors all came out of their booths in a bunch, rolling and writhing, and they took the crystals out of the women. Old-Man-That-Chief who was blind asked to be led in front of an old woman and he took a crystal out of her(Weltfish 1965:292).
The doctors put away their "quartz crystal" paraphernalia and discussed plans for the forthcoming performance. Big Doctor said, "The day after tomorrow, in the evening, Good Pipe and I are going to put on a regular performance. Tomorrow evening we doctors are all going to parade through the village. Anyone who wants to take part in the performance to be given the day after tomorrow, ought to get everything ready!" The big public performances were now about to begin (Weltfish 1965:292).
Iroquoian
Iroquois. use.
UTENSILS USED IN FOOD PREPARATION / KNIFE
Kalm states, probably with regard to the Iroquois and neighbouring tribes, that "they were satisfied with little sharp pieces of flint or quartz, or else some other hard kind of a stone, or with a sharp shell, or else with a piece of bone which they had sharpened."--Travels, vol. I, pp. 341, 342 (Waugh 1916:71).
ANCIENT CRAFTS OF THE IROQUOIS / USE OF CLAY
Carefully selected clay was powdered and then mixed with a tempering material such as pulverized quartz, stone, shell, or sand to prevent cracking (Lyford 1945:49).
Ceramics
Some of these specimens of black pottery, which is the best variety, are of so fine a texture as to admit of a tolerable polish, and so firm as to have the appearance of stone. Their common pottery is of a clay color, and is a compound of common clay and pulverized quartz (Morgan 1901:6).
Muskogean
Seminole. use.
Ceramics
Ethnological specimens are more numerous and have been illustrated or described by several writers. Perhaps the oldest specimens, probably dating from the 1860's, are two described by Karl Schmitt (1950). These vessels are similar to McIntosh Roughened in most respects, being almost identical in the vessel shape (Fig. 24, H–I), rim notches, and surface finish. They differ, however, in having crushed sandstone instead of fine grit or quartztempering (Goggin1964:204).
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chamberlain, VonDel
1982When Stars Came Down to Earth: Cosmology of the Skidi Pawnee Indiansof North America. Ballena Press, Los Altos; Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland, College Park.
This is a study of Pawnee ethnoastronomy. The work attempts to describe the objects and phenomena of the sky as they were perceived by the Skidi (Skiri) band of Pawnee in Nebraska, and the effect that they had on religious beliefs and practices. In general the book attempts to consolidate materials written about Pawnee ethnoastronomy scattered through various sources , many of which were written around the beginning of the twentieth century. Other ethnographic topics deal with native concepts relating to sky phenomena, an annotated list of sky objects referred to in the records, the Skidi earth lodge as a model of Pawnee cosmology, the Skidi observational system, and the unique star chart inscribed on buckskin used by the Pawnee over the ages in their study of the heavens.
Densmore, Frances
1929Chippewa Customs.Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 86. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
This is a study of almost all aspects of the material culture of the Chippewa between 1905 and 1925. The author visited the people for the purpose of studying tribal songs, and this collection of data concerning their customs was gathered during their research. Her study was conducted on Chippewa reservations orCentral Ojibwa in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario. She presents a well organized account of Chippewa customs.
Goggin, John M.
1964Seminole Pottery. In Indian and Spanish Selected Writings, edited by Charles H. Fairbanks, Irving Rouse, and William C. Sturtevant, pp. 180-218.University of Miami Press, Coral Gables.
This source is an analysis of Florida Seminole pottery as it existed prehistorically, historically, and ethnographically. The data consist of historical writings, archeological field reports, and museum specimens. Photos and illustrations of the items are provided. Ceramic techniques and styles are examined as well. The Florida Seminole ceramics are compared with those of several other Southeastern groups.
Li, Fang Kuei
1976Chipewyan Texts. Academica Sinica, Institute of History and Philology, Taipei.
This source consists of a series of nineteen Chipewyan texts, accompanied by grammatical notes, recorded by the author (Li) at Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, Canada, in the summer of 1928. The stories were transcribed phonetically and published with an interlinear translation from the narration of Francois Mandeville, a tri-lingual speaker of French, English and Chipewyan. The texts are largely mythological in nature, but several contain additional bits of ethnographic information pertinent to hunting and trapping, the preparation of hides, and warfare.
Lyford, Carrie A.
1945Iroquois Crafts. Education Division, Indian Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington; Haskell Institute, Lawrence.
This study describes briefly the dwellings, food, clothing, games, tools, utensils, sports, and musical instruments of the Iroquois, but places special emphasis on the ancient handicrafts and decorative arts. The preparation of the various materials used, the techniques, and the designs are described in detail, with plentiful illustrations. Changes due to the introduction of new tools and materials by White settlers are shown.
Morgan, Lewis H.
1901League of the Ho-De'-No-Sau-Nee or Iroquois, v.2. DoddMead, New York.
This, the second volume of Morgan's work on the Iroquois, discusses the material culture of the Iroquois, their language, and their system of trails. The latter part of the volume is composed of notes by Herbert M. Lloyd which gives background on Morgan and his associates as well as explanations of certain statements made by Morgan.
Sharp, Henry S.
1988The Transformation of Bigfoot: Maleness, Power, and Belief among the Chipewyan. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington.
Sharp presents a microsociological study of power in interpersonal relations within a single kin group of Chipewyan Indians living in a bush camp in the Northwest Territories of Canada between 1968 and 1983. This study is based primarily on the author's field work during the spring and summer of 1975, further supplemented by data which he gathered on this subject group during brief earlier contacts with them in the period of 1968-1974, and again in 1977 and 1983. The theoretical issues under discussion in this work deal with the general nature of power in Chipewyan society, the relationship between symbolic forms -- INKOZE (supernatural knowledge and/or power), and beliefs about the 'bushman' (frequently referred to as 'Bigfoot' or 'Sasquatch) -- as a means of gender regulation, and finally the effects of Western concepts of 'belief' and 'rationality' as confounding variables in the analysis of Chipewyan thought and action (p. xii). In the exposition of these issues Sharp provides some supplemental information on various economic activities, particularly hunting and fishing, the rigors of travel in the region, family relationships, food preservation techniques, the preparation of animal skins, and biographical information on various members of his study group. The author fully participated in many aspects of the native economy, and much of the source deals with his travels and his personal relationship to the Chipewyan population.
Waugh, Frederick W.
1916Iroquois Foods and Food Preparation. Canadian Government Printing Bureau, Ottawa.
This book is a detailed ethnobotanical description of Iroquois food plants and foods. Waugh includes information on non-food plants as well as the non-food uses of some animal and mineral products. Some folkloric material is also included. Data for this source were gathered by Waugh among both the New York and Canadian Iroquois between 1912 and 1915. The author also makes use of historical sources.