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Shell masks were made from marine conch & whelk shells. These shells were traded hundreds of miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Shell was also used to make a variety of different bead styles, gorgets, hair pins and pendants. |
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There are several different styles of shell masks. They vary in design from the simplest examples that only have two drilled holes for eyes, called the McBee style, to those that have very intricately engraved and carved faces, called the Buffalo style. Another type, called the Chickamauga style, are more simply decorated than the Buffalo style. They have simple noses and mouths plus drilled eyes that are plain or have circles engraved around them. Some examples are also engraved with various designs on the inside of the shell. |
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Shell mask gorgets are generally found associated with burials. They are considered to be gorgets because enough of them have been found in that position on the chest of the individual. It's believed that the holes drilled for the eyes were used as suspension holes. |
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Although simple in design, shell masks project a powerful image. This artistic technique seems easy to do, but making a strong image with only a few lines is actually quite difficult. The original designs for shell masks may once have originated in someone's altered state of mind------as in a dream or trance. A place where spirits are said to walk. Their precise meaning will always be just as mysterious as they look. |
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"REFERENCES"
1912,
Frederick Webb Hodge, "Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico,"
p. 814. |
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