Sponemann figurine, Sponemann site. |
Finally, anatomical detail depicted in the Birger, Sponemann, Willoughby, and West figurines differs from the more generalized treatment of the Keller figurine. All but the Keller woman have intricate facial details and both breasts and nipples are shown on the Sponeman and Birger women.
Renderings of human forms or body parts were likely viewed in two very different ways. The West, Willoughby, Birger, Sponemann, and probably the Keller figurines all seem to represent a mythical earth goddess. These figurines perhaps formed a component of a fertility or earth goddess cult (J.A. Brown 1985; Emerson 1997). The imagery of important tools and common dress suggests that this cult, and thus the art, were accessible to most members of Mississippian Society. Other depictions of humans, particularly males with elaborate dress and falcon imagery, seem to convey a very different message, speaking to more civic, political, and military aspects of Mississippian life. |