PIPE: BIRD-EFFIGY PLATFORM; SCIOTO COUNTY, OHIO
Length: 5”
Height: 3 ¾”
Width: 2 ¼”
Weight: 1 lb 14.4 oz
Around 1918 a farmer digging fence post-holes on his land about four miles north of Portsmouth, Ohio came across a trove of stone tools and SEVERAL odd, bird-effigy platform pipes. After several years of asking, the bulk of this cache was recently acquired ago by this site.
This is a HEAVY PIPE. It is of the platform variety.
A slightly-curved base (representative of a branch) has the effigy perched on top. A small reed, mouth hole in the platform connects to the deep smoke hole. Two wings can be seen at the sides of this carved stone artifact. The bird effigy is pecking downwards, looking for food.
A few miles northwest of this find is the Tremper Mound complex which dates to around 100 BC. Turn of the century excavation there uncovered an astonishing number of burial effigy pipes.
Abrasions, smoke hole dings, ground scratches and minor nicks.
Mound Builder pipes are sometimes referred to as “portable art sculpture.” A better name cannot be had.
The ancient Native Americans who had these pipes crafted were after something more than just a smoke-inhalation vessel. The extraordinary size and details of many pipes suggests these prehistoric people were after both status and a reflection of the items within their environment.
By holding these remarkable pieces of art we can just begin to slowly understand their motives.
This is an extremely intriguing and RARE bird effigy platform pipe.