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ABSTRACT
THE FRANKE PIPE AND
THE FALCON WARRIOR
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
MADISON & ST. CLAIR COUNTIES, ILLINOIS
The focus of this article is to illustrate and describe a unique example of a
Cahokia style sandstone pipe. This pipe has never been published. It
surfaced only after an old collection was sold on auction. It's
believed to have been found somewhere in the southern Illinois area.
The design of the pipe is a simple abstract form of a bird that may
represent a falcon. If this is true, it suggests a
warrior theme in reference to what researchers refer to as a military cult
that once existed within the southeastern Mississippian tradition.
The falcon warrior is a part human and part falcon mythological
being that was illustrated in artifacts made of copper, shell and stone.
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"One aspect of
the Mississippian tradition was the development of an elaborate art
style, which probably was associated with, and symbolically expressed, a
complex religious and social system."---1982,
Thomas E. Emerson "Mississippian Stone Images In Illinois," p. 2.
"One of
the most frequent war-related images of the Mississippian period is a
Winged Being researchers often call the Falcon Warrior, which was
embossed in copper, engraved in shell, modeled in clay, and sculpted in
stone."---2004, Susan C. Power, "Early
Art Of The Southeastern Indians, Feathered Serpents & Winged Beings," p.
139.
"The Falcon was the insignia of a military cult among
the ancient Mississippians."---2006,
Hope B. Werness, "Encyclopedia Of Animal Symbolism In Art," p. 171.
"The third
significant motif of chiefly iconography is the falcon impersonator who
is shown brandishing a club and carrying a severed head. The bird-man
theme refers to a cult complex in its own right."----1985,
James A. Brown, "III. The Mississippian Period," Ancient Art Of The
American Woodland Indians, p. 113.
"The connotations of the falcon impersonator include fighting
and warfare."---1985, James A. Brown,
"III. The Mississippian Period," Ancient Art Of The American Woodland
Indians, p. 113.
"The chunkey player's connection with the falcon impersonator on
this object (a shell gorget from Missouri)
confirms the political significance of the chunkey-player role."---1985,
James A. Brown, "III. The Mississippian Period," Ancient Art Of The
American Woodland Indians, pp. 113-114.
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THE FRANKE PIPE &
THE FALCON WARRIOR
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
MADISON & ST. CLAIR COUNTIES, ILLINOIS
Past studies of
Cahokia style effigies have shown that the uniqueness of these artifacts
are important. Each one is different and can provide more information
towards the overall understanding of the Mississippian culture. Emerson
writes that "Stone figures and effigy pipes carved in the Cahokia style
represent some of the more striking artifacts associated with the
Mississippian cultural tradition. Such objects are justly prized for
their intrinsic beauty and craftsmanship as well as for the insights
they provide into aspects of Mississippian culture, ritual and
symbolism." The Franke pipe (pronounced Frank-ee) is another one of
these stone figures that can add to the ever expanding knowledge of Cahokia
iconography and mythology.
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CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
FRANKE PIPE
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
CAHOKIA MOUNDS AREA SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS
PRIVATE COLLECTION
This picture shows both side views of the Franke pipe. The effigy of
a bird is easily recognizable from the two curved projections and
the
breast area in the front.
The large conically shaped holes, the fact that the image is resting
on a platform and the over all box-like shape are all traits that
suggest that this is a Cahokia culture artifact. This pipe is heavily patinated and it's made of high
quality fine-grained sandstone. It measures 4 ½ inches long, 2 ¾ inches
wide and 2 ¾ inches high. |
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The Franke pipe was once owned by Marvin Franke, of southern
Illinois. Most of his collection was assembled
many years earlier by his dad Harry. The Franke pipe is a Mississippian
culture pipe that relates in style to pipes that have been found within
the Cahokia Mounds area. The holes are large and conical in shape, the
image is resting on a platform and the outline of the pipe is
rectangular. |
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BIRDMAN TABLET
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
CAHOKIA MOUNDS SITE
MADISON & ST. CLAIR COUNTIES,
ILLINOIS
OWNED BY THE PEOPLE OF
ILLINOIS
The
most famous reference to falcon iconography from Cahokia is the
engraving of the winged human on the Birdman Tablet. This
image is now recognized by researchers as a representation of a
falcon warrior or a falcon impersonator. It's believed that the
human figure is wearing a costume that would include a mask and a
feathered cape along with other items, such as ear spools and some
type of headdress. The opposite side of the tablet is engraved with
two rows of parallel lines that intersect in a way that forms a
field of fairly uniform diamonds. The Birdman Tablet was found
near the base of Monks Mound in 1975. It's made of fine grained
sandstone and measures 3 5/8 inches (9.2 cm) long, 2 7/16 inches
(6.2 cm) and 11/16 inch (1.7 cm) thick. |
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The Franke pipe is heavily patinated and is made of high
quality fine-grained sandstone. It measures 4 ½ inches long, 2 ¾ inches
wide and 2 ¾ inches high. |
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KASSLY BIRDMAN TABLET
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
MONROE COUNTY,
ILLINOIS
OWNED BY
THE PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS
The Kassly Birdman Tablet is another example of a falcon warrior or
falcon impersonator. This tablet was engraved to show more detail of the falcon
costume than the one from Cahokia. More of the skirt is shown and
there is a little more detail on the wing. Instead of an oval panel
on the chest, the Kassly tablet has puncture marks and the bottom of
the skirt has a fringe. There are also other design features
engraved on the skirt itself. Although the upper left portion of the
tablet is broken away, it appears that this birdman image does not
have a head.
The Kassly Birdman Tablet was found on November 15, 2000 in a
cultivated field by Elizabeth Kassly near Valmeyer, Illinois about
three miles from the Mississippi River. The Kassly tablet is made of
a coarse grained sandstone. |
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The main design features of the Franke pipe are simple and abstract
in form. The image of a bird is achieved without the use of a head, tail
or legs. The central body of a bird is represented by two wings and a breast area. Pecking marks on the front may also represent breast
feathers. The wing design is similar to another bird effigy pipe, from
the “old time” Patrick collection, that was found many years ago near
the Cahokia site in St. Clair County, Illinois. |
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CONTINUE ON TO PAGE
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"REFERENCES"
1982, Emerson, Thomas E.,
"Mississippian Stone Images In Illinois," p. 2.
1983, Emerson, Thomas E., "The Bostrom Figure Pipe And The
Cahokian Effigy Style In The American Bottom," Midcontinental Journal
Of Archaeology, Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 257.
1985, Brown, James A., "III. The Mississippian Period," Ancient Art Of The
American Woodland Indians, p. 113-114.
2004, Power, Susan C., "Early Art Of The
Southeastern Indians, Feathered Serpents & Winged Beings," p. 139.
2006, Werness, Hope B., "Encyclopedia Of Animal Symbolism In Art," p. 171.
Personal
communications with Jim Marlin.
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