Earspools with 6-pointed star motif,

1200–1400

These elegantly simple and abstractly adorned earspools, carved of a fine, cream-colored stone (limestone?), are a standard form of adornment for high-ranking individuals associated with the major ancient city of Spiro, in present-day eastern Oklahoma. Spiro is generally considered a peripheral node in the network of Mississippi valley sites comprising a cultural sphere variously known as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, Mound Builder, Eastern Woodland, or Mississippian. Spiro's apogee, dating to A.D. 1000-1600, makes it one of the last great cities of this tradition. Although this pair of earspools are labeled (see verso image) as coming from Pike County, AK, their general form, style of manufacture, and the simple raised star motif are attested at Spiro, and associate them with that tradition (cf. Townsend 2004:244). The geometric patterns on Spiro and related Caddoan objects of this region resist iconographic interpretation, in part due to the nearly total disjunction between ancient traditions and modern Native American life in Oklahoma (to where Arkansas Natives were also forcibly migrated). The star motif's appearance on well-fashioned objects, particularly on highly-visible personal adornment such as large earspools, certainly suggests the design was indicative of high rank. Further, both the motif and the color of the stone may reference shell, a material prized and favored throughout the American Southeast. The six-pointed form bears a notable similarity to cut conch shell - compare, for example, the Aztec cut-shell pectoral currently on display at PUAM (L.1987.51).